A Heart to Love
by A. Amishi
Summary: AU story beginning at the start of their 3rd year. A new transfer student arrives and all the girls have eyes for him but he has eyes only for one. But will she even notice him? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1: The Transfer Student

Disclaimer: Azumanga Daioh I is the property of Genco and J.C. STAFF, distributed in the U.S. by ADV Films, and created by Azuma Kyohiko. The character of Ashitaka Nitobe is one of my own creation and is NOT a self-insert. This is being written purely for the reading enjoyment of those Azumanga Daioh/fanfiction fans out there. I profit in no way other than knowing my readers have enjoyed my work. Thank you.

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Description: As a fan of Azumanga Daioh and a big fan of Sakaki, and being the hopeless romantic that I am, I thought I'd give my favorite character a boyfriend. But it won't be easy going. Sakaki is very reserved and isn't looking for romance. So things will be slow going, and even when things do progress, there will be people and events conspiring against them. I hope you enjoy this as much as I know I'll enjoy writing it.

This story starts at the beginning of their final year of High School and is an AU of that year. Events do not take into account any of the events that took place during the last school year in the anime or manga.

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Azumanga Daioh: A Heart to Love (A Sakaki Love Story)

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Chapter 1: The New Transfer Student

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"Okay class. I've got some exciting news for you," Yukari-sensei said cheerfully. "Not only are you all third year students now, but we all get to welcome a new transfer student to our school and our class." She turned towards the door and waved the young man in. "Come on, we won't bite," she laughed.

In walked a handsome young man, standing 188 centimeters tall with a lean but muscular frame, sandy-blond hair neatly cut, sparkly blue eyes, and somewhat of a sad expression on his face. He walked over and stood next to his new homeroom teacher.

"Everyone, let's all welcome Ashitaka Nitobe. Ashitaka-san recently moved here from Morioka, which is in Iwate Prefecture." Yukari gave her new student a big grin. "I bet you're glad to get away from those freezing winter temperatures, huh?" she giggled.

"Hmm, actually, ma'am, I rather enjoy the cold weather," the seventeen-year old teen replied in a hushed voice.

"What!" Yukari screamed. "Are you crazy?"

"Huh?" The startled boy's eyes went wide in shock as he took a half step back from his teacher.

"No one likes freezing temperatures!" she insisted. "Unless," she looked him over from head to toe, "you enjoy snuggling up close under a warm blanket with your oh so cute yet worldly, older girlfriend." She batted her eyes at the handsome, tall teen.

"Huh?" Nervous sweat began to trickle down the boy's forehead. "May I have my seat assignment now, ma'am?" he asked, taking yet another half step away from the drooling teacher.

"Chou-um!" She cleared her throat and wiped the drool from her mouth, then looked about the room. "Hmm, well…." she pondered. "Yes, right there, the seat in front of Sakaki-san. You can sit there."

The boy nodded, then headed down the row closest to the window. As he walked, all eyes were upon him. The boys marveled at his size, the girls at his handsome good looks. Everyone was in awe of the new transfer student, everyone except one girl who was staring out the window and hadn't even noticed his arrival.

"Ah, excuse me, miss… excuse me." He attempted to get the girl's attention.

The long-haired girl with the placid expression slowly turned towards the source of the request. Her hypnotic dark eyes grew large in surprise. Softly, she asked, "Yes?"

"Are you Sakaki-san, or is she?" He pointed behind her. Gradually turning around in her chair, the long-haired girl noticed for the first time that not only was the seat in front of her vacant, but the seat behind her was as well. In the following seat sat Kagura, whom she noticed was staring dreamy eyed at the boy in front of her. Turning back she replied, "Yes, I'm Sakaki. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, Yukari-sensei told me to sit in front of Sakaki-san." He looked down at the chair. "I guess this is my seat then." He offered her a weak smile and bowed then sat down.

Sakaki stared at his back a moment longer, then pondered, _I wonder when he joined our class? I wonder what his name is?_ With class starting, she turned her attention to her teacher.

During lunch Sakaki sat quietly at her desk and ate the meal her mother prepared for her. Glancing about the room, she noticed that there were fewer students still in the room than usual. "I wonder where everyone's gone off to?" she whispered to herself, then went back to eating her lunch.

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In the cafeteria, Ashitaka jockeyed for position in hopes of getting something for lunch. Never one to take advantage of his size or strength, and always raised to be respectful of the opposite sex, he allowed several girls to cut in front of him, but he felt as if he had gone too far when one girl, whom he thought he recognized from his class, shot in front of him, offered him a big grin, then whispered under her breath, "Sucker."

He felt like a real sucker when the girl purchased the last four port cutlet sandwiches. Though never a fan of seafood, he had no choice but to purchase a tuna sandwich since that was all that was left. Returning to the classroom, he walked over to his seat and stole a glance at the girl who sat behind him. She was nearly done with her lunch and was casually flipping through a magazine.

"Hmmm…" He gave a slight grin.

Looking up, Sakaki gave the tall teen a questioning stare.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't disturb me," she reassured him.

A faint smile appeared across his face. "So you like mountain bikes?" He turned his gaze to the magazine she was flipping through.

"No, not really." She followed his gaze to the magazine. "It's just something to look at while I finish my lunch," she replied, flipping a few more pages until she came to a page with an ad that included a picture of three small kittens huddled together, sleeping. Instantly, Sakaki's eyes went soft as she ran a trembling hand over the picture.

"They're really cute," Ashitaka whispered.

Sakaki just nodded, not taking her eyes off the picture.

"Well, sorry again," the boy said, then sat down and began opening the sealed bag his sandwich was in.

Sakaki looked up at the boy.

_Only one sandwich?_

Looking him up and down, she pondered.

_He's an awfully big boy to be eating just one sandwich for lunch._

She looked down at her own food. She had finished most of it already, but three dumplings remained untouched.

_I wonder if he would like to have the rest? I'm not hungry any more. I should ask him._

Just as she had decided and was about to stand up and ask Ashitaka, a group of boys came into the room and made a beeline straight to the new transfer student's desk.

"Hi! You must be Ashitaka Nitobe? I'm Tojero Mifune from class 1-3 and captain of the basketball team."

"I'm Keiichi Sanada from class 1-4 and captain of the baseball team."

"And I'm Senotsuke Torogawa, also from class 1-4 and captain of the swim team."

Ashitaka just nodded, stealing a glance at his still uneaten sandwich.

"We just wanted to welcome you to our school."

"And extend an invitation to you to come and join our team," Keiichi added.

"Our teams," the other two corrected.

"Rumor has it you're quite the athlete." Senotsuke grinned.

"Rumor?" Ashitaka raised a curious eyebrow.

"Our school councilor is a big supporter of our athletic programs," they said in unison, then looked at each other with sarcastic disgust.

"Anyway, he just casually mentioned that you made your old school's varsity swim team, baseball team, and volleyball team all in your first year of high school."

"Pretty impressive."

"Very impressive…"

"So what do you say?"

"What do I say about what?" Ashitaka replied.

The three boys laughed. "What do you say about joining our teams?" Tojero asked.

"Yeah, we could really use someone like you," injected Keiichi.

"Yeah," added Senotsuke.

Looking from one boy to the next, Ashitaka quietly replied, "Someone like me?"

"Right, someone just like you."

Looking down at his still uneaten sandwich, the new boy began to unwrap it before answering. "I'm afraid I'm not the person you think I am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to be able to finish my lunch before class starts up again."

The three boys gave each other a surprised look, then got up and left, none too happy.

The new transfer student sighed, then went about eating his sandwich. _Yuck… I hate tuna._

Sakaki had long since put her lunch away, having left the room to watch her hands in the restroom.

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The rest of the school day went by rather uneventfully, with the exception of the extra attention Yukari-sensei seemed to be paying the new student, having called on him five times during the afternoon session.

As she normally did, Sakaki gathered up her belongings and made her way out of the classroom. With no extracurricular activities to occupy her afternoon, the long-haired beauty made her way out of the school.

"Hey, Sakaki!" she heard yelled out from behind her. Turning, she saw Kagura, Tomo, and Yomi running towards her.

"What's up, guys?" she asked placidly.

"Come on, don't hold out on us!" Tomo yelled, jumping up in her face.

While the taller girl held her ground, she arched her back to provide a little distance between herself and her over excited classmate. "Hold out?" Confusion etched itself across her brow.

"She means Ashitaka, what's he like?" Yomi elaborated as she grabbed Tomo by the collar and pulled her back a step.

"Ashitaka?" Her confusion was multiplied. "I don't know anyone named Ashitaka," she explained.

"Sure you do, the new boy that just transferred in today. Weren't you paying attention, Sakaki?" Kagura replied.

The tall girl's cheeks burned red in embarrassment as she recalled what had captured her attention early that morning in class. The sight of two kittens playing in the tree just outside the classroom window was too much for her not to be captivated. Though the branch was narrow, they played with such confidence, unconcerned that any misstep could send them 8 meters to the hard ground below. They were so cute, so adorable, that Sakaki even failed to rise and bow when Yukari-sensei came into the room. And she surely was not paying any attention when the new transfer student was introduced. "Oh, him," she said sheepishly.

"So, what's he like?" Yomi asked, struggling to contain her excitement.

"Well…"Sakaki considered the question for a moment before replying. "He's tall."

The three other girls looked at each other in disbelief.

"Well, duh! No kidding he's tall," Kagura snapped back.

"Hellooo! Earth to Sakaki!" Tomo added.

"No kidding, Sakaki, that's the sort of reply I'd've expected from Osaka, not you," concluded Yomi.

The tall girl stared blankly at her friends for a moment, considering how to reply. They stared back, expecting her to say something, anything.

Instead, she just turned and started walking home.

Again the three girls exchanged looks of confusion and disbelief. By the time they recovered, Sakaki was well over a block away.

"Damn!" Kagura shouted. Checking her watch, she hissed. "Shit, I got to go or I'll be late for swimming practice." She turned and went back into the school.

"You think Sakaki was holding out on us?" Tomo asked her long-time friend.

"She must have been, " Yomi acknowledged, "Sakaki never acts that spacey." Checking her watch, she sighed. "I've got to go too. See you tomorrow, Tomo."

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Sakaki walked at a brisk pace, hoping to reach the brick wall where the gray cat often lay at this time of day. But as she approached the wall, she could already tell he was not there. Looking about, she tried to see if anyone had walked past that street recently.

"Who could have chased him off?" Looking straight ahead, she saw a rather tall boy walking in the same direction she was heading. Recognizing his uniform, she whispered to herself, "He's from my school. Did he chase the cat away?"

She began walking purposefully towards him, quickly closing the gap between them. As she drew close, she realized there was something faintly familiar about this boy. _The broad shoulders, the narrow waist, the neatly trimmed sandy-blonde hair and the height. It must be…_

Just then, the boy knelt down on one knee and from his hand sprang the gray cat, casually walking away, though taking a moment to look back at him and smiling, before running off.

The boy stood back up and walked away, totally unaware of the long-haired beauty who stood about two meters behind him, now in tears.

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To be continued…

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AN: Well, I hope you liked my introductory chapter to my newest fanfic. I haven't seen all of AD yet, but I hope to soon. But what I have seen I've loved. I especially love Sakaki. She's so cool and so misunderstood by her friends. This story is about when kindred spirits meet; I hope I can make it interesting for you. If you are wondering, Ashitaka is not a SI. While I do use the name Ashitaka as a handle and username from time to time, it is in no way me. I chose the name very carefully. His given name, Ashitaka, holds two significant meanings. One, it was the name of the hero in Miyazaki's masterpiece, Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke), a young man of great character and courage. And two, Mt. Ashitaka is the second tallest mountain in Japan, about half the height of Mt. Fuji. Our hero's surname comes from Dr. Inazo Nitobe from city of Morioka in the Iwate Prefecture. Dr. Nitobe was a university professor who lived from 1862 to 1933, and was a strong advocate for the internationalism of Japan. Through his efforts, the city of Morioka now has several sister cities around the world, the most prominent being Victoria, British Columbia. I am having Ashitaka be a descendant of Dr. Nitobe. The reason for that will become clear in later chapters.

While this story is a romance and a drama, I hope to try and incorporate some of the humor from the anime into it as well. Nothing side-splitting, but enough to bring a smile to your face. I hope I succeeded in that once or twice with this chapter. Please let me know what you think, I'd really like to know.

I'd also like to extend a very special thank you to my wonderful beta-reader, Janice. Janice, you're the best!

A. Amishi


	2. Chapter 2: What's he like? Sempai

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Azumanga Daioh: A Heart to Love (A Sakaki Love Story)

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Chapter 2: What's he like? …. Sempai

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Never ones to get to school too early, this morning proved to be different for Sakaki's friends. When Sakaki, who normally arrived quite early, stepped into the classroom, she was taken aback by the sight of Yomi, Kagura, and Tomo all huddled around her desk.

"Ouch!" A muffled voice echoed from behind her.

Turning, she saw Chiyo with her eyes closed tightly, rubbing her nose.

"Oh, sorry, Chiyo-chan," she apologized.

"That's all right, Sakaki-san, but why'd you stop so suddenly?" the diminutive girl asked.

Sakaki stepped aside so Chiyo could walk into the room.

"Oh my! I wonder why they're all huddled around your desk, Sakaki-san?"

"Hmm," the tall girl nodded, "I don't know, but I guess I'm going to find out." Without any further hesitation, Sakaki walked purposefully towards her desk.

Anxious to find out what was going on, Chiyo followed close behind her.

"Morning," Sakaki said placidly.

Tomo, who was sitting in her chair, looked up defiantly. "Don't morning us," she retorted.

But her resolve melted away as she gazed into the taller girl's dark, piercing eyes. Jumping up from the seat with a yelp, Tomo backed away, taking refuge behind Yomi.

"Come on, Sakaki," Kagura started. "You both ate your lunch in the class yesterday. Don't tell me you didn't talk to him at all?"

"How did you know we both ate our lunch here?" Sakaki asked.

"You always eat your lunch in the classroom, Sakaki," Yomi replied, "even back during our first year."

"And I saw Ashitaka-san head back over here from the cafeteria." Tomo announced, thrusting her index finger up in the air and grinning stupidly. But the sight of the tall girl's powerful stare sent her ducking behind her friend once again.

"So spill it. What's he like?" Kagura asked.

"Yes, Sakaki-san. What is Ashitaka-san like? Please tell us," the high-pitched voice belonging to Chiyo asked from behind Sakaki.

Stepping to the side so she could see all four girls, Sakaki pondered the question for a moment, trying to remember the events from the day before.

The first thing that came to her mind was watching the tall boy crouch down on one knee and seeing the gray cat spring from his arms.

"Well, he likes cats," the longhaired beauty whispered.

"Cats?" Yomi asked inquisitively.

"That's so cute," Chiyo added.

"Mmm." Sakaki nodded, the resemblance of a faint smile beginning to creep across her lips.

"Who cares if he likes some stupid little fur-balls?" Kagura snapped.

The tall girl let out a faint gasp.

"What is **HE** like?" the abrasive swimming star demanded.

"Yeah, Sakaki," added Yomi. "Is he into sports? What food does he like? Why did he come to Tokyo his senior year? And most importantly…"

"Does he have a girlfriend?!" shouted Tomo from behind.

"Hmm…" Sakaki pondered these questions for a moment until she remembered…. _The three boys came into our classroom to talk to him._ Slowly the memory took shape as she saw in her mind's eye the events that took place the day before.

They were the captains of… the swim team… the basketball team… and the… the baseball team.

_"We heard you made your old school's varsity teams as a first year student._

Impressive… Very Impressive…" 

"Well, apparently he's a very good athlete," the tall girl stated plainly.

"I knew it!" Kagura pumped her fists. "You can tell just by looking at him. His build and the way he moves, so fluidly. So what sport did he play?"

"Hmm… well…" Sakaki thought again. _"…made your varsity swim team, baseball team, and volleyball team in your first year…"_

"Well… he apparently was on his old school's varsity swim, baseball, and volleyball teams in his first year of high school."

"A three sport athlete! That's amazing!"

"I wonder if he's going to do the same thing here or will he concentrate on just one sport?"

Again, recalling Ashitaka's conversation, Sakaki immediately responded, "Neither."

"Huh?"

"He turned them all down," she explained.

"Turned who down?" asked Yomi.

"The captains. They all came here yesterday, trying to get him to join their teams. He turned them all down."

"Well, that's strange," Yomi replied.

"Yeah, strange." Kagura stared at Sakaki till the taller girl looked away.

Having nothing else to say, she sat down at her desk.

"Well, is that all?" Tomo asked, finally stepping out from behind Yomi.

Sakaki thought for a moment, then recalled the smell as Ashitaka ate his lunch. "He likes tuna… I think."

"Tunaaa," the three girls said in unison.

Chiyo gave a confused stare. "Why all the interest in Ashitaka-san?"

"Don't worry about it, Chiyo-chan. You're still too young to understand." Tomo patted the young prodigy on the head.

"Do you guys like Ashitaka-san?" Chiyo asked.

"EH!" The three girls jumped back, their faces turning bright red as they made a strategic retreat out of the room.

"Huh?" Chiyo watched each girl withdraw. "Now why'd they do that?" she asked, looking back at Sakaki

The older girl just shrugged. "I don't know."

"Do you like Ashitaka-san, Sakaki-san?" the precocious eleven-year old asked.

"Huh?" The longhaired beauty's eyes went a little wide as she seriously considered the question, and in doing so two events from the previous day came to mind. In her mind's eye she pictured the magazine she had been reading. She recalled the picture of the kittens and what the tall boy had said. _"They're cute."_ Recalling the smile on his face, she realized for the first time that the handsome young man had dimples and a cleft chin. "Hmm…" Then she recalled him going down on one knee and letting the gray cat down, as well as the cat turning and smiling back at him. _I wish I could do that._

"Well, Sakaki-san?" Chiyo asked again.

Brought back to the moment, she looked at her little friend and answered, "Well, I haven't known Ashitaka-san long enough to really make up my mind, but he seems nice enough, so I suppose I could learn to like him."

"**WHAT!!!"**

Both girls turned to see Kaorin standing about a meter behind Sakaki. She was as pale as a ghost, with beads of perspiration dotting her forehead and temples, and unshed tears welling up in her eyes. Her lips quivered and her legs trembled as she struggled to say something, anything to the object of her affection and admiration. But the only thing she could do was turn and run out the door mumbling incoherently.

"I wonder what's wrong with Kaorin?" Chiyo pondered.

Shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head, Sakaki replied, "I don't know." They both continued to stare out the back door.

Hearing, "Good morning ladies," caused the two girls to turn towards the front of the class where they saw the tall, handsome boy who was the topic of discussion that morning.

"Oh, good morning, Ashitaka-san," the young pony-tailed girl said with a broad smile. "How are you this fine morning?"

Struggling to keep from smiling stupidly, the young man replied, "I'm doing quite well, thank you, Chiyo-sempai."

The young girl's eyes went wide. "Sempai!"

"Well, you are the class representative, and from what I've heard, the smartest person in the class," he explained.

"Well, I-I guess, but we are both seniors, and you're older than me. If anything, I should call you sempai," she reasoned.

"But I'm new to this school, and from what I've seen, you may be young but you're still well respected."

"Well…" Chiyo considered Ashitaka's argument, then turned to her friend and asked, "What do you think, Sakaki-san?"

The longhaired girl, who had been listening intently to the discussion, looked from Chiyo to Ashitaka then back over to Chiyo and replied, "I think it's all right for Ashitaka-san to call you sempai."

"Really, Sakaki-san?" Chiyo smiled hopefully.

"Mmm Hmm." The raven-haired girl nodded.

"Well…" Smiling from ear to ear, Chiyo turned back to the tall boy. "Good day, Ashitaka…-kun." Blushing slightly, she turned and walked to her desk.

Ashitaka smiled as he watched the young girl walk away.

"That was really nice of you," Sakaki said softly.

Turning back towards the girl who sat behind him, he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Chiyo-chan tries very hard to do her best always, but being only twelve and already a senior in high school can be a terribly burden on her sometimes. It was nice of you to boost her confidence like that." She gave the boy a hint of a smile, but after a moment she realized she was staring at him. Blushing, she turned away, looking out the window as she usually did until class started.

"I think maybe you give me too much credit, but thank you all the same… Sakaki-chan." Turning quickly, he sat down and pulled out his first period books.

The tall girl gasped, turning her head quickly towards the boy who was now sitting in his seat.

_Sakaki-chan…_The girl's lips trembled as she struggled to blink away the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks.

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AN: I'd like to say thank you to the people who reviewed my first chapter. I hope everyone that reads this story enjoys it as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Please feel free to let me know if you think I'm making any of the characters too OOC. My hope is to keep all the primary cast members in character as much as possible. Of course, when romance is thrown into the mix, people have a way of acting in ways they normally never would.

Sorry it took so long to get this second chapter up but real life keeps finding a way to intrude on both my life and my beta-reader's life. Damned real life! /shakes fist in mock anger/ Speaking of my beta-reader, I'd like to take a moment to thank her for doing a band up job, as always. Thanks Janice!

While I've already started writing chapter 3, I don't know if I'll have it done and ready to post before the holidays so just in case I'm not able to get it out before then, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. I hope all your holiday wishes come true.

A.Amishi


	3. Chapter 3: Unfounded Anger Unshakeable F

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Azumanga Daioh: A Heart to Love (A Sakaki Love Story)

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Chapter 3: Unfounded Anger… Unshakeable Fear

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"Oh, good morning, Sakaki-chan."

The longhaired beauty gasped, turning around suddenly to see Ashitaka standing beside her. Her mouth gapped slightly as her eyes expressed surprise in seeing the boy so early in the morning. _Why does he keep calling me that? _

"Did you follow me home?" Gesturing towards the house they were standing in front of.

"No, not at all." Turning around and pointing towards the apartment complex down the street. "I live there, in that apartment building, about a half a kilometer down." Turning back to face the his classmate, he continued, "Walking to school takes me past this way each day, but I must admit, I didn't know you lived her until I saw you right now."

Blushing slightly, she looked away. "Oh." Having nothing else to say, she began walking towards school.

"Hmm…" Ashitaka quickened his pace to catch up to the raven-haired girl. "Mind if I walk with you, Sakaki-chan?"

"Hmph!" She frowned, "Don't call me that."

The boy gasped in shock.

"And why are you going to school at this time? All week and you've not come in this early once," she continued.

The boy took a step back from the angry girl, staring at her with eyes filled with profound sadness. He bowed low and said, "I'm very sorry, Sakaki-san. Please, except my most profound apology. I was much too familiar. It won't happen again."

Sakaki's anger melted away the moment he straightened up and she saw his sad, hurt expression. But before she could say anything he quickly said, "Pardon me, I have to hurry or I'll be late for my appointment with the Vice-Principal." That said, the boy broke into a run and was over a block away before she knew it.

"Appointment with the Vice-Principal," she sighed and lowered her head in shame. _I'm such an idiot. When did everything suddenly revolve around you, Sakaki? _Raising her head slowly, Sakaki started walking towards school, all the while filling herself with generous portions of self-loathing.

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Sakaki walked alone in silence and self-condemnation for some time when she heard someone say, "Good morning, Sakaki-san."

"Oh, Chiyo-chan… good morning." She replied.

"You want to hear something strange, Sakaki-san?" Chiyo asked, quickening her step to keep up with her tall friend, even though the older girl slowed her pace.

"What Chiyo-chan?"

"I could have sworn I saw Ashitaka-kun run by here earlier but when I called out to him, he didn't respond. So I guess it wasn't him, but it looked just like him," Chiyo explained.

"It was him, Chiyo-chan."

"It was? How do you know, Sakaki-san? Did you see him earlier too?"

The dark-haired girl's expression feel as she recalled the harsh tone she took with the boy that precluded his quick departure. "Yeah, I saw him earlier."

Chiyo stared at her friend for a moment then asked, "Is something wrong, Sakaki-san? You look troubled."

The usually confident and self-assured girl gave a small gasp, not realizing her downtrodden expression was so easily readable. "Hmm, no, no I'm fine." She lied.

Chiyo just nodded and continued walking. After a few minutes she asked, "Did something happen between you and Ashitaka-kun earlier?"

Sakaki drew in a sharp breath. _When did Chiyo-chan become so observant?_ She pondered, refraining from replying immediately. But after a few minutes, she confessed, "I… I spoke harshly to him. I think I may have upset him."

"But why would you do that, Sakaki-san?" Chiyo pleaded.

Sakaki sighed. _Why did I do that? That was so unlike me. _Thinking of the thing that triggered her reaction, she said, "You've heard what he calls me, haven't you?"

The diminutive child tried to stifle a giggle. "Uh-huh! Sakaki-chan, that's so sweet."

"No, it's not. It's insulting," the reason for her earlier anger returning to her.

Chiyo scratched the top of her head and tilted it from side to side. "What's insulting about it?"

The tall girl came to a stop and looked away from her young friend. "I'm not small… or … cute." Her eyes grew hooded as she answered softly.

Chiyo turned and stood in front of her friend, staring up at her pensively. "Well, I guess to most of us, that's probably true, Sakaki-san. We look at you and we think: tall, and cool, maybe even a little intimidating."

The taller girl sighed internally. She knew it was true but hearing Chiyo verbalize it still hurt.

"But maybe to Ashitaka-kun, you are cute… and well, he is taller than you," Chiyo reasoned.

The older girl raised her hand over her mouth. _Could it be? Does he really think I'm cute?_ Her lips quivered at the thought.

"Sakaki-san, are you all right?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. We better keep walking or we'll be late."

"Right." Chiyo nodded.

After walking a while in silence, the precocious eleven year old felt compelled to ask, "You are going to apologize to Ashitaka-kun, aren't you, Sakaki-san?"

"Huh?" Looking over at her young friend, she saw a concerned look on the child's face.

"I know we haven't known Ashitaka-kun for very long, only a week but he's the first boy I feel I can think of as a friend… and well… you're my friend too. I… I just wouldn't want my friends to be angry at each other," the pre-teen explained.

Visualizing the boy's sad expression as he apologized to her, made Sakaki's heart sink. _He didn't deserve that._ "Yes, I will." She resolved, offering Chiyo a faint smile.

The young girl returned a big toothy grin to her friend. "I'm glad."

Their spirits lifted, they walked the rest of the way enjoying a light conversation that was mostly one sided with Chiyo offering comments, observations and occasionally asking a question or two, and Sakaki nodding to her comments and offering brief replies to her inquiries.

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In class, Sakaki noticed that Ashitaka hadn't arrived yet. _He must still be meeting with the Vice-Principal. _ She looked out the window but soon found herself staring towards the front door of the classroom. _I wonder if he is still upset over my comments?_

"Surely, he must be. Wouldn't you be upset?"

Sakaki gave a small gasp in surprise, quickly turning her head towards the source of the voice. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw the large yellow cat from her dreams sitting in Ashitaka's chair.

"Mihama-sama, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Turning around to face the long-haired teen, he replied, "A more important question would be, why isn't Nitobe-san here?"

"Hmm," Sakaki turned away and whispered. "He said he had an appointment with the Vice-Principal."

"And you believed that excuse?" the cat asked.

Her breath caught in her throat. _Could… could it be…_ The image of Ashitaka standing upon a wind swept cliff overlooking the raging sea appeared in her mind's eye. With tears in his eyes, he cried out, "Good-bye cruel world! Good-bye cruel Sakaki!" Then he leapt off the cliff. "NO!"

"Is there something wrong with the way Kagura-san is conjugating this verb, Sakaki-san?" Yukari asked.

All eyes in the class turned towards the longhaired girl.

"Uh…" The girl recovered from her waking dream quickly and scanned the sentence in an instant. "It should be CAUGHT, not CATCHED, I think," she answered.

"Very good, Sakaki-san," Yukari smiled. "It's good to see some of my students take my lessons to heart," then she turned and glared at Kagura, "Unlike some other students, who are more interested in mountain bikes than learning."

Kagura returned a blank stare and replied, matter of factly, "I use my mountain bike everyday. I've used English outside of this class once."

Glaring daggers into the girl, the English teacher yelled, "And I'm sure you screwed that up royally!"

Tilting her head to the side for a moment, Kagura straightened and smiled, "How did you know?"

"Sit down Kagura!"

The shorthaired girl jumped back slightly and her eyes went a bit wide from her teacher's outburst. "Yes, Sensei," she replied with a bead of sweat rolling down her temple. Setting the chalk down, she returned to her seat.

Exhaling deeply and letting her shoulders droop as she sighed, Yukari took a moment to compose herself before lifting her head. "All right, who wants to try the next one?"

A few hands went up but before she could choose someone, the door at the front of the class slide open.

"Ashitaka-san, you're quite late. Do you have a reason why you deprived your teacher the pleasure of your presence?" she laughed. "Just kidding!" she continued to laugh, but the young man still stayed a step or two further away from his teacher than he otherwise might have.

"My apologies, Sensei." The boy bowed, then he held out a slip of paper for her to take.

"Oh, what's this, a love letter for your sensei?" You're so bold to give this to me in class, Ashitaka-san," she laughed seductively.

The boy flinched as his hand trembled at the thought.

The girls in the class gasped in horror, while the boys gasped in shock.

Yukari took the note, unfolded it and read it. "Oh, it's from the Vice-Principal, excusing you for being late to class."

The class let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Okay then, take your seat."

"Yes, Sensei." He bowed once again then headed for his desk.

Sakaki offered him a welcoming smile but Ashitaka made a point of avoiding eye contact with the girl that sat behind him. She sighed softly. _I guess he must be upset because of the way I spoke to him._ She tilted her head and looked out the window. _Not that I could blame him. I was awfully rude… and cruel to him._ She sighed sadly.

"So back to the lesson, who would like to try the next problem?"

A number of hands went up.

"I have to warn you, it's harder than it looks." Several hands went down quickly. A moment later, all hands except Chiyo's went down.

"Well, it looks like you're the only one confident enough to handle this one, Chiyo-chan." Yukari observed.

"Aah, Yukari-sensei…" Ashitaka's hand slowly went up. "With all do respect to Chiyo-sempai…" He looked over to the diminutive eleven year-old, who was already standing and about to head over to the front of the class. "I believe I can properly conjugate the verbs in this sentence.

Chiyo smiled over at him. "By all means, Ashitaka-kun. Please do." She bowed then returned to her seat.

Rising, the tall boy bowed to the child prodigy. "Thank you, Chiyo-sempai." Then he walked up to the board, with his workbook in hand. With some hesitation, he accepted the piece of chalk offered to him by his teacher but when he tried to pull it from her hand, he met unexpected resistance.

"Is there a problem, Ashitaka-kun?" Yukari whispered softly so only he could hear.

The boy froze as his mouth went dry, beads of perspiration covered his forehead, and his eyes went wide.

"Just kidding," his teacher giggled, finally letting go of the chalk.

The boy tried to swallow but his mouth was bone dry. Slowly, lifting his workbook, Ashitaka began to write out the sentence. _What could have possibly possessed me to volunteer to come stand next to this woman?_ He stole a quick glance at his teacher, who was standing only a few steps away, staring at him with a big smile on her face. _Oh God_. He tried to steady his breathing and keep his hand from trembling, without success.

-

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AN: I'd like to thank everyone that's read and reviewed my story so far. I have to admit, that with the small number of Azumanga Daioh fanfics posted here, I didn't really expect to get very many reviews. I was hoping for 2, maybe 3 per chapter. So you can imagine how I'm very happy I am with the number of reviews I've received so far. I hope I continue to write well enough to warrant continued commentary from you, my readers. I'd also like to thank several of you for your comments and suggestions. I'll do my best to try and keep all the characters IN CHARACTER as best I can.

Speaking of staying IC, I know most of you are probably thinking Sakaki was way OOC for the way she snapped at Ashitaka, and while for the most part I think I would agree with you, it was necessary and I think believable. Remember, Sakaki is not accustomed to being thought of as cute, though she surely wishes she where. That was why she started crying at the end of the second chapter, because that was probably the first time since she was a very small girl that anyone had suggested she was cute or small. But here, in chapter three, after being referred to that way for a week, I got the impression that she would have a real hard time believing anyone would think of her that way, so she starts to believe that Ashitaka is in some way mocking her by calling her that.

As for Ashitaka avoiding eye contact with Sakaki, was this because he's upset with her now, or is he afraid she is still angry with him? Also, why did Ashitaka need to see the Vice-Principal? Well, you'll have to wait for chapter four to find out the answer to these questions.

In order to get this chapter out before the holidays, I've edited it myself, for a change. I will re-post after my Beta-reader, Janice has a chance to go over it but that will probably not be till after the holidays and, well, really didn't want to make you wait that long. I hope I caught, at least all the obvious errors.

A. Amishi

PS: Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you have a save and joyful holiday.


	4. Chapter 4: Swingin with Power I'm so Sor...

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Azumanga Daioh: A Heart to Love (A Sakaki Love Story)

Chapter 4: Swinging with Power…. I'm so Sorry

Waiting for their turn to bat, Ashitaka's self-proclaimed best friend, Torigai Kasagawa leaned towards the taller boy a bit and asked, "So what's going on between you and Yukari-sensei?"

The taller boy's right eye began to twitch. Slowly, he turned to stare at the shorter boy with glasses. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. It's plain as day she enjoys giving you special attention," Torigai observed.

"Believe me, nothing would make me happier than being treated like everyone else in her class," Ashitaka retorted.

"Next!" Minamo called out.

The two boys shifted up the line and continued to wait.

"Come on, you mean to tell me you haven't done or said anything to encourage her actions?" the spectacled boy inquired.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Ashitaka placed his hands on his hips and twisted from side to side, sending a ripple of cracks up his spine.

"Eew, how can you do that? Doesn't that hurt?" Ashitaka's friend asked.

"Actually, it feels good. Helps loosen up the back." The sandy-haired boy smiled.

(000)

"Say, look!" Kagura called out, having rushed to the windows in the home economics class that faced the sports field. "The boys are playing softball and Ashitaka-san is up next!"

All the girls rushed to the windows to watch.

(000)

"Will you give it a rest already, Torigai?" Ashitaka gave his supposed friend an annoyed glare.

"Next!" Minamo called out once again.

"It's just, sure, Yukari-sensei acts kind of weird and… well, even childish at times, but this is my third year in her class and I never recall her acting like this towards any of her other students before," Torigai reasoned.

Ashitaka just stared at the other boy with a look of total disbelief.

"Nitobe, are you waiting for a personal invitation?" Minamo asked impatiently.

"Oh!" The tall, sandy-haired boy jumped with a start. Realizing he was next up, he quickly picked up a bat and walked up to the plate. "Sorry, sensei," he apologized, then readied himself for the pitch, but his mind was elsewhere at that moment.

_Damn that Torigai,_ he sighed. _Why does Yukari-sensei have to act like that towards me?_

"Strike One!" Minamo called.

"Uh?" Ashitaka looked down to see the back catcher standing up and tossing the ball back to the pitcher. The boy gave Ashitaka an arrogant smirk, then crouched down behind the plate.

_What's his problem?_ Ashitaka pondered for a moment before shaking it off and preparing himself for the next pitch. This time he swung, but was a little late and tipped the ball foul to the right.

"Foul ball, Strike Two!" the gym teacher called out.

The catcher stood up and waited while the ball was being retrieved.

Sensing the boy's eyes upon him, Ashitaka turned to verify his suspicion. Sure enough, the shorter boy was staring at him with the same arrogant smirk as before.

"What?" Ashitaka asked, his patience growing thin with the other boy.

"I told Sanada-san we didn't need a small town hick like you on our baseball team. You can't even get a clean hit on a softball, I doubt you can hit a baseball," the boy challenged.

"Really?" Ashitaka nodded, looking down at his gym shoes and using the end of the bat to knock the sand from the bottoms of them. "What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's Akagi, Akagi Yukigawa," the catcher replied. "Why do you ask?"

The ball was back in the pitcher's hands and he readied himself to hurl another rocket past his opponent.

Ignoring Akagi's inquiry, the tall boy dug his shoes in and readied himself for the pitch.

With a lightening fast wind up, the pitcher whipped the ball towards his catcher.

Stepping into the pitch, Ashitaka brought his bat around with godlike speed in a smooth, powerful swing. The echo of the ball hitting the aluminum bat was so loud that the students playing softball in the field closest to the school building stopped to look.

The ball took off like a missile, sailing high into the air as it flew over centerfield. Everyone on the fields turned and watched the ball rocket overhead, past them all.

Ashitaka tossed his bat aside, turned to the catcher, and said, "That was for all the small town hicks everywhere, Akagi-san." Rounding first on his way to second, he thought, _Man, I really got all of it. It's going further than I thought it would._

(000)

"Ohhh!" The girls from senior homeroom class three sighed in unison.

"He didn't even swing," Kagura observed sadly.

"What's happening? I can't see!" Chiyo cried out. "Can someone please tell me what's happening?"

"Here you go, Chiyo-chan." Osaka placed a stool in front of the cabinets that lined the wall under the windows.

"Thank you, Osaka-san." Chiyo smiled.

"You're welcome, Chiyo-chan." The dark-haired girl grinned.

"He hit it!" Yomi yelled.

"Yeah, but it's going foul," observed Tomo.

"Come on, Ashitaka-kun, you can do it." Chiyo and Kagura gave each other an inquisitive stare.

"I wonder what he and the catcher are talking about?" Yomi thought out loud.

"Maybe the catcher's offering Ashitaka-san some advice," Osaka suggested.

"Mmm, maybe…" Yomi replied.

"Or maybe he's mocking Ashitaka-san for his two strikes. Maybe he's daring Ashitaka-san to try and hit the next pitch. Maybe he's threatening to hurt Ashitaka-san if he hits the ball foul again. Maybe he wants to kill Ashitaka-san whether or not he hits the ball foul!" an excitable Osaka blurted out, her eyes opened wide in horror, her breathing labored. The girls just stared at her in disbelief.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Kagura asked.

Ignoring her classmate's inquiry, Osaka's normal happy disposition returned as she observed, "Oh, here comes the third throw."

All eyes instantly shifted from Osaka back to the field just in time to see the new transfer student swing.

"Woah!" Kagura yelled. "What a shot! He nailed that thing!"

"WOAH!" The rest of the class marveled in unison.

"Have you ever seen a ball hit so far?" Yomi wondered aloud.

Kagura shook her head, "No, never. It's … It's …" Her eyes went wide. "It's heading right for us!"

Screams echoed in the class as everyone ran from the windows. Everyone except Chiyo-chan, who stood paralyzed on top of the stool Osaka had given her.

She saw the ball heading directly towards her, but was powerless to move. Her throat strained in a silent scream that filled only her mind. Her eyes were transfixed upon the approaching white sphere as it made its decent directly towards her. _I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!_

(000)

Ashitaka let out a sad sigh as he swept up the broken glass that covered the floor.

"When you're done with the floor you can help me put up the plywood," the school custodian said as he finished removing the rest of the glass shards from the window frame.

"Yes, sir." The boy nodded then returned to cleaning the floor. As the bristles of the broom ran over a few spots on the floor, the spots smeared. Crouching down, Ashitaka ran his fingers over the smear and looked at them. _Blood._

(000)

Kagura sat next to Yomi on the bed in the hospital room, holding a can of juice while the sandy-haired girl drank it from a straw. With a soft slurp telling Kagura that Yomi was finished, she pulled the can away and tossed it in the nearby garbage can.

"Feeling any better, Yomi-chan?" A teary eyed Tomo asked, clasping her friend's glasses up against her chest.

"Mmm, a little bit." The injured girl reached up and touched the side of her bandaged head. "Ouch!" She winced. "Not that much better, I guess."

"You're lucky," Kagura said as she stood up.

"Lucky? How do you figure that?" Tomo asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Kagura-chan is right," Sakaki replied. "If Yomi-chan had been hit directly with the ball rather then after it ricocheted twice, she could have been killed instead of just knocked unconscious."

"Oh, Yomi-chan." Tomo's lips quivered as her eyes watered up again.

"Don't worry, Tomo. I'm fine, really." Yomi smiled weakly, still a bit groggy from the experience.

"Okay, girls," the nurse said politely. "Time to let your friend get some rest."

"Yes, thank you, ma'am." Sakaki bowed low, then, turning to the girl in the bed, she added, "I hope you're feeling much better tomorrow, Yomi-chan."

The sandy-haired girl nodded slowly, still offering her weak grin.

"Later, Yomi-chan," Kagura added, then she bowed to the nurse as well and followed Sakaki out into the hallway.

"I'll come by tomorrow, Yomi-chan?" Tomo give her best friend a thumbs up and tried forcing a big toothy grin, but as tears pooled up over her lower eyelids she turned and rushed out the door so her friend wouldn't see her cry.

The nurse smiled. "You have some wonderful friends."

Yomi looked up at the older woman, "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Okay now, let's lie back and get some rest, shall we?" The nurse grabbed the controller for the bed and reclined it all the way back to the sleeping position.

"Mmm, okay." Slowly, Yomi's eyes closed, not realizing how very tired she was. "Will I have to stay here past tomorrow?"

"That's up to the doctor, dear, but I'm sure if you get plenty of rest and do as the doctor says you'll be able to go home very soon." The nurse smiled.

"Okay, thank you," Yomi said sleepily, then swiftly drifted off to Neverland.

(000)

As the three girls came to the fifth floor lobby, their two friends got up from the sofa.

"So how is Yomi-chan doing?" Chiyo asked, having jumped up from her seat first.

"She seems to be doing much better," Kagura answered. "She asked about you guys." The short-haired girl grinned.

"Really?" A sad expression played across Chiyo's face. "I wanted to go in and see her, I really did. But after seeing her in the nurse's office before the ambulance arrived, I felt so ill I thought for sure I was going to faint. I didn't want to do that in front of Yomi-chan."

"Funny, I felt like I was going to throw up," Osaka replied, having come up behind Chiyo.

Sakaki and Kagura took a step back from the soft spoken girl, just to be safe.

"Well, it was a good thing neither of you came in the room then. Yomi-chan looks like she's at death's door, all swollen, her eyes all red and puffy. And she kept blacking out right in the middle of the conversation," Tomo said in all seriousness.

"Really?" Chiyo's voice quivered as tears welled up in her eyes.

"No, Chiyo-chan. Tomo's lying. Yomi-chan looks just fine, she's doing good. In fact, I'm willing to bet they'll let her go home tomorrow," Kagura assured her.

"Is that right, Sakaki-san? Does Yomi-chan really look much better?" Chiyo asked the girl she most respected for confirmation.

"Hmm." Sakaki nodded. Looking about, she asked. "Where is Yomi-chan's family?"

"Oh, they had to go home to put her little brother to bed, but her mom said she was going to come back and spend to night. The doctor already approved it," Chiyo explained.

"Oh, well, we probably should head home, don't you think?" Kagura looked to the other girls for confirmation. Each nodded in agreement and they headed for the elevator. As they waited for it to arrive the swimmer added, "You know it really is terrible what happened to Yomi-chan and all, but you've got to admit that was one amazing hit Ashitaka made."

They all nodded. The ding of the elevator drew their attention, and as they filed in, Chiyo said with a sense of hostility, "Yeah, but I can't believe Ashitaka-kun didn't even bother to check up on Yomi-chan. I thought he was more sensitive than that."

"Well, he might be cute and all, but in the end he is still just a boy," Tomo replied, to which everyone else nodded. Everyone except Sakaki, who was looking out the elevator doors as they drew to a close. Just before they shut, the elevator across the hall opened and the boy in question stepped out, a large bouquet of daisies in his hands and a sorrowful expression on his face.

(000)

Slowly, the young man pushed open the door to Yomi's hospital room. Peering in, he saw the injured girl fast asleep. As he stepped into the room, he looked for a good place to put the flowers, finally settling on the windowsill. Since he had promised the nurse on duty not to disturb the resting girl, Ashitaka considered turning and walking out so as not to wake her, but he thought better of it and sat down carefully next to her on the bed.

Staring down at the sleeping girl, a faint smile crossed his face. "You're so very pretty, Yomi-chan, especially without your glasses on," he whispered. "You look almost angelic." His smile grew a bit until Yomi turned her head and flinched in pain. Ashitaka's smile vanished as his attention shifted from the girl's tranquil face to the bandage on her head.

Lowering his head, the boy squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to hold back the tears. "Why? Why do I always hurt the people around me?" he softly murmured. "First my sister, then my parents…" He opened his eyes and looked up at Yomi's tranquil expression. "And now my classmates." Ashitaka took Yomi's hand into his and whispered, "I'm sorry, Yomi-chan. I'm so very sorry for hurting you." Tears began to roll down his cheeks. "If I wasn't such a showoff, if I had just let the pitcher strike me out, none of this would have happened. It's always the same. It's always about me. I always make it about me… I'm such a selfish bastard."

With his tears falling freely, Ashitaka failed to notice the young teen stir and her eyes flutter open.

"Ashitaka-kun? Is that you?" Yomi whispered softly.

The boy looked up abruptly and quickly wiped roughly at his eyes. "Yomi-chan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay, Ashitaka-kun. After the tests the doctors said there wasn't any danger if I fell asleep, but I guess maybe I've watched too many movies. I feel like if I go to sleep now, I might not wake back up." The injured girl giggled.

Unfortunately, Yomi's little joke had the opposite affect on the boy, and he slumped over and began to weep. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…," he whispered over and over.

Yomi gasped in shock over the boy's unexpected reaction. _Ashitaka-kun. _She sat up and wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay, Ashitaka-kun. I'm okay, really." She leaned over and rested her cheek upon the boy's back, the whole time whispering, "It's okay, Ashitaka-kun. Everything's fine now."

(000)

As the girls left the hospital Sakaki excused herself from the rest, saying she needed to get something from the store across the street. The girls looked at her with a hint of suspicion, seeing that the store was a men's clothing store, but they offered no protest and went on their way to the train station.

Standing in front of a rack of ties near the window display, Sakaki watched the hospital entrance, patiently waiting for the person she felt she needed to talk to. _Father always says never let the sun set on your anger, work things out before you lay your head down for the night. I have to talk to Ashitaka-san and let him know I'm sorry for the things I said this morning. It's the right thing to do,_ she told herself while she idly ran her fingers through the ties.

"May I help you find something, Miss?" the salesman asked.

"Oh." Sakaki looked up with surprise to the shorter man, then down at what her fingers were fumbling through. "Hmm…"

"Yes?" He smiled. "Looking for something for your father… or perhaps your boyfriend?"

Sakaki gasped, turning beet red with embarrassment.

(000)

After almost 45 minutes of waiting, the tall girl spotted the boy she was waiting for exiting the hospital. Quickly walking out of the store, she made her way across the street and caught up with him in no time.

"Hmm, Ashitaka-san," Sakaki said just above a whisper. After receiving no response from the boy who was just a half a step ahead of her, she repeated herself a little more loudly.

Ashitaka stopped and turned. "Sakaki-ch… Sakaki-san?"

Sakaki felt her heart sink a bit when the boy stopped himself from calling her 'chan'.

"What a surprise to see you here." Looking back at the hospital building, he asked, "Were you visiting Yomi-chan?"

"Hmm, yes, me… along with the other girls, we stopped by earlier," she told him.

"Oh." He looked around. "Where are they?"

"Who?" Sakaki's eyes went a little wide.

"The others," Ashitaka replied with a smile.

"Oh, they left almost an hour ago," she answered.

"But you stayed?" A look of confusion crossed the boy's face.

"Hmm… well." Sakaki blushed and turned away. "You see, I wanted to talk to you."

"You knew I was at the hospital?" The boy struggled to understand the circumstances of their meeting.

"Well, yes. I saw you getting off the elevator. See, we were on the elevator across the hall. We were just leaving," she explained.

"And you waited almost an hour to talk to me?" The boy shuffled his feet nervously. "Now you have me worried."

"Oh?" A surprised expression crossed the girl's face.

"What could be so important that you couldn't wait till tomorrow at school?" he asked.

"Well..." Unconsciously, she clutched the gift box close to her chest. "I wanted to tell you… I wanted to tell you… I'm sorry." She pushed the box in his direction.

Startled, the boy didn't know what to do. Finally, he asked, "Sorry for what?"

Gradually, Sakaki lowered her hands, still clutching the box, and answered, "For my rudeness this morning. I should never have spoken so harshly to you."

Ashitaka smiled. "It's okay, I deserved it. I was being presumptuous. I'm sorry."

Sakaki shook her head. "No, you didn't deserve such harsh words. I was wrong and I'm sorry." Sakaki bowed low. "Please forgive me, Ashitaka-san."

"Huh…" The boy stared with wonder at the girl. "Very well, I accept your apology… under one condition."

Straightening up, she asked, "Condition?"

"Please, allow me to still call you Sakaki-chan." The boy bowed.

"Aaah." The startled girl hesitated, but offered a faint smile. "Alright, if you really want to."

"Thank you, Sakaki-chan." The tall boy smiled.

"Oh, here." Returning his smile, Sakaki extended the box to him again.

Taking the narrow, rectangular box this time, he replied, "Thank you, but what is it?"

"It's just my way of saying sorry." Sakaki blushed slightly.

"Oh, okay. Well, may I open it?" Ashitaka asked, still staring at the box.

"Please do," Sakaki answered. "I hope you like it."

Removing the ribbon that held the box closed, the fair-haired boy opened the gift. "It's a tie." He stared at it for several long seconds.

"If you don't like it, I can exchange it for something else," she said with concern in her voice.

"No, no, I love it. Really, I do. It's wonderful. Thank you. Thank you very much," he replied almost instantly. "I just…"

"Just what?" Sakaki tilted her head.

"I just feel so undeserving of this," Ashitaka replied. "The least you can do is let me buy you…" He looked at his watch. "Dinner." He then pointed at a small noodle shop across the way.

Smiling faintly, Sakaki replied, "I'd like that."

"Great," Ashitaka said softly, and to the girl's surprise, he took her hand and led the way to the noodle shop.

( To Be Continued)

AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things are going to start getting a bit sticky between Ashitaka, Sakaki, and Yomi. How will they handle it? Will Sakaki and Yomi's friendship survive? And what happened to Ashitaka's family that drove him to tears? Sorry, but you have to wait for the following chapters to find out the answers to these and other questions.

With Acen'05 coming up soon, I'll try to get a couple more chapters written before hand, but since I'll be hosting 2 fan panels: Escaflowne and Outlaw Star, I don't really know how much time I'll have to write. But I'll do my best.

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing my story. I really appreciate you taking the time to do so. I'd also like to offer a special thank you to my beta-reader, Janice. You're the best, Janice. Thanks for everything.

A. Amishi


	5. Chapter 5: Feeling comfortable I hate

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Azumanga Daioh: A Heart to Love

Chapter 5: Feeling comfortable… I hate tuna

The two high school seniors sat at the noodle shop counter eating their noodles in silence. Occasionally they would pause to take a drink of their sodas, glance over at each other and smile when their eyes met.

Twenty minutes passed when a thought occurred to Sakaki, _This is so… nice. I feel so comfortable just sitting here with him like this. _She glanced over at him again. _But I guess I should probably say something. Maybe ask him about his family or something._ She stole a second glance. _He's probably bored to death just sitting here with me._ She lowered her head a little closer to her bowl, bringing some noodles to her mouth, and keeping her head low even after accomplishing this task. _He probably thinks I'm the most boring girl in all of Tokyo._

"You know Sakaki-chan."

She straightened up and looked over at him.

He met her eyes with a smiled. "You're the first girl I've met who didn't feel the need to fill every moment with idle chatter."

Her eyes widened, "Oh?"

"Just sitting here like this, with you, I feel, so…"

"Sooo?" She unconsciously leaned closer to him.

"It feels so… comfortable." He grinned.

"Really?" She smiled.

"Really, really." His grin widened.

Sakaki felt suddenly relieved. _Glad I didn't start babbling about nothing._ But her joy was short lived when she noticed Ashitaka's smile fade away and a deep pensive expression took its place. "What's wrong?"

The boy hesitated for a moment then answered, "I was just thinking… well, I'm having a good time here with you, but…"

"But what?"

"Well… you must be bored out of your mind." He lowered his head slightly, casting his eyes aside. "You must think I'm the world's most boring date."

"No!" She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. Ashitaka looked up and their eyes locked for an all too brief moment. His eyes drifted down to her hand upon his arm. Her gaze followed his and when she saw her hand clasping his, she gasped and instantly withdrew it. "Sorry." She blushed.

"Please, unless you found it unpleasant, don't apologize." He cracked a faint smile.

She offered a hint of a smile as well. "To be honest, I was just thinking how comfortable I felt sitting here with you, and I was worried you thought I was boring."

Ashitaka laughed silently, then reached for his bottle of soda, and held it up. "Well, here's to the most boring couple in Tokyo."

Sakaki grabbed her bottle and tapped it to his. "Yes, here's to us."

"Are you kids ready for seconds?" the shop owner asked. "It's free on Mondays."

Turning back to Sakaki, he asked with a smile, "Ready for more?"

"Sure."

(000)

Few words were exchanged between them as they ate or on their way home but neither complained. Eventually, Ashitaka broke the silence. "You know, I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression."

Sakaki gave him a questioning gaze.

"When I said I liked the fact that you didn't feel the need to talk. I hope I didn't give you the idea that I didn't want us to talk at all."

The girl cracked a small grin. "No, you didn't give me that impression. If I have something I want to say, I'll say it."

He smiled at her then turned his attention back to the road ahead.

After a few minutes, Sakaki finally spoke. "I am a little surprised you didn't get the udon bowl with tuna." She laughed softly.

"God No! I hate tuna." He placed his hand over his stomach, feeling a bit nauseous just thinking about it.

"Really? I thought you liked tuna?" her amusement being replaced by shock.

"What gave you that idea?"

"Well, on the first day of school… you ate a tuna sandwich. I just thought you must like it."

The boy laughed silently. "No, the only reason I bought it was because it was the last sandwich left in the cafeteria."

"Oh." A troubled expression crossed Sakaki's face as she recalled the conversation during home economics, before the flying softball ended class.

_(000)_

**"Ashitaka-kun always buys his lunch, doesn't he? I think maybe I'll make him something for lunch tomorrow."**

**_"That's a good idea Chiyo-chan. I think I'll make him something too," Yomi replied._**

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**_"Say, you two trying to make a move on Ashitaka-kun behind our backs?" Tomo chimed. "Well, I won't let you win without a fight. I'll make him something too."_**

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**_"Win what?" Yomi glared. "And he'll need an ambulance to rush him to the hospital if he eats anything you make him, Tomo. Besides, we're not making any moves. Chiyo-chan and I are just…"_**

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**_"Concerned about the health and well-been of a friend, that's all." Chiyo completed Yomi's sentence._**

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**_"Yeah, that's it." Yomi smiled._**

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**_"Well, if that's the case, we should all make a little something for him. Don't you think?" Kagura set her casserole down on the table where the other three were and peeled away the burnt top. The three stared at the casserole in horror._**

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**_"That's a great idea!" Chiyo smiled._**

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**_"Yeah, great," Yomi moaned under her breath._**

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**_"Don't you think it's a great idea, Sakaki-san?" Chiyo asked._**

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**_Though she was working at the table next to them, Sakaki had been following the conversation and blushed a bit for having been caught ease dropping. "Yeah… sure."_**

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**_"Whatcha all talk'n about?" Osaka, who had been working next to Sakaki, asked._**

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**_"We're planning a marriage feast for Ashitaka-kun." Tomo blurted out._**

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**_"WHAT?" They all yelled._**

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**_"Quiet down over there!" the teacher snapped._**

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**_"You know, like in olden times. The young beautiful women of the village would each make a dish, and would present it to the eligible bachelor who was looking for a bride. And whoever's dish he liked the most would become his bride."_**

**_"Really?" Osaka asked starry-eyed._**

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**_"Yeah!" Tomo exclaimed._**

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**_"Don't believe her Osaka-san. She just made that up." Yomi said firmly. "And nobody is marrying anybody. We're just talking about making lunch for Ashitaka-kun tomorrow because he's always buying sandwiches here at school."_**

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**_"That's right," Chiyo agreed. "We were saying we can each chip in and make him a little something."_**

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**_"Sounds like a good idea," Osaka agreed. "But what's he like?"_**

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**_"Oh."_**

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**_"You wouldn' wanna make him some'n he ain't gonna like," Osaka concluded._**

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**_"Hmmm."_**

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**_A deep silence hung over the table until Tomo asked, "What has he been eating recently?"_**

****

**_Again silence fell._**

****

Finally, Kagura said, "Say, Sakaki-san didn't you say before that Ashitaka-kun liked tuna?"

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**_Sakaki nodded._**

**_"Right," Chiyo smiled. "This way he's guaranteed to like it."_**

****

**_They all nodded in agreement._**

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**_"Well, at least everything that is edible." Yomi stared at Tomo._**

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**_"Why are you staring at me?" Tomo screeched defensively._**

(000)

"Sakaki-chan?" Ashitaka stood in front of her waving his hand in front of her face. "Sakaki-chan? Are you all right?"

Blinking her eyes as if awakening from a trance, she looked at him then looked around for a moment. Turning back to the boy, she asked, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. We were walking and all of a sudden, you stopped. Your eyes sort of glazed over like you were hypnotized or something. To tell you the truth, it was a little frightening. Are you okay?" He reached out but hesitated, letting his hand fall to his side.

"Mmm hmm, I'm fine." She turned her head slightly to avoid direct eye contact. "Sorry for worrying you."

Ashitaka smiled. "That's okay. I'mmm just glad you're all right."

They continued walking but before long the boy asked, "I'm curious though, what were you think about that got you so distracted?"

Sakaki blushed a bit, turning her head to avoid his gaze. "I-It was nothing… really."

He shrugged and they continued down the street.

After a few moments, she asked, "So you reeeally don't like tuna… not at all?"

"Not really. In fact, I'm surprised I was able to hold down that sandwich on the first day of school." He laughed mildly.

"Are you allergic to tuna?"

"Well… that's what I usually tell people so I can get out of eating it, but in reality, no. I just…" He looked over and studied the girl's expression for a moment. "Why the sudden interest in whether or not I like tuna?"

"Huh?" Sakaki gulped. "I… I just thought it was kind of strange, that's all."

"Really? Is it so strange, not to like tuna?"

She looked down the road ahead of them. "To be honest, I've never met anyone who didn't like tuna. Hating tuna, it's almost… anti-Japanese."

The boy's eyes went large. "Really?"

She looked sideways at him and struggled unsuccessfully to keep from smiling. "Absolutely."

"Well," He stuffed his hands into his pockets and slouched while side stepping closer to her. "You better not be seen around me anymore. Who knows what being seen with a subversive like me could do to your reputation?"

Sakaki held her hand up to her mouth and giggled.

Hearing the soft laughter coming from the normally stoic girl caused Ashitaka to straighten up suddenly and stare at her with astonishment.

Realizing he had stopped walking, Sakaki turned to look at him. "What?"

He shook his head. "I do believe that's the first time I've ever seen you laugh."

The girl blushed, looking from side to side to avoid making eye contact. "No, it isn't.." she turned and started walking again.

With a few quick steps, Ashitaka was along side of her again. Thinking for a moment of all the times he had been with or around her, he concluded, "I'm certain of it. I've never seen you laugh until today, just now."

"Well, maybe you just never noticed before?" She quickened her pace, but the boy kept up without any effort.

"Hmmm, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed a laugh as cute as yours."

Sakaki came to a dead halt. "Stop it," she whispered.

"Stop what?"

"Stop saying I'm cute," she said in a soft but stern voice. "I'm not cute. I've never been cute, not even when I was little, not even when I was a baby. I've always been big and awkward. When I was born I weighed 4.7 kilograms and was over 58 centimeters long. Most people mistook me for a boy until I started…" She glanced down at her breasts and blushed. "Even though my hair was already long." She turned away from the boy. "I guess people have different opinions about me. They see me in different ways. But in all 17 years of my life, no one has ever mistaken me for cute. Chiyo-chan is cute. Osaka-san is cute. Even Yomi-chan, with her oversized glasses, is cute. I'm not cute. So please stop saying I am, alright?"

Having said her piece, Sakaki broke into a run, but before she knew it, she felt a hand on her wrist, forcing her to stop. "What?" She snapped while keeping her head down to avoid meeting his gaze.

He stood before her breathing deeply for several long moments before he spoke, "Sakaki-chan, you've run right past your house."

She looked up to see he was right; she had run two houses past her own. "Oh."

Slipping his hand under her chin, he gently pushed up to lift her head and forced her to make eye contact with him. "Sakaki-chan, I know we haven't known each other very long, so maybe you don't trust me. I can understand that. The school year has only begun, and you have almost a year."

"A year for what?"

"A year to learn, that I say what I mean and I mean what I say. When I say you have a cute smile and an even cuter laugh, I don't say it because I'm trying to flatter you or impress you. I say it because I believe it. You're right when you say that Chiyo-chan, Osaka-chan, and Yomi-chan are cute. Heck, even Tomo-chan and Kagura-chan can be cute at times. But there is no absolute measure of what is and isn't cute. And just because you're tall and physically mature doesn't mean you can't be cute as well. I'm not trying to embarrass you. I'm just telling you what I believe is true. You have a cute smile and an even cuter laugh. And I wish I will get to see more of both."

Without realizing it Ashitaka had inched closer and closer to Sakaki as he spoke until they stood face to face, their noses almost touching each other. Suddenly he became acutely aware of Sakaki's gentle breath bathing his lips. A thought crossed his mind but he quickly dismissed it and gradually backed up, allowing his hand to drop away.

They stood staring at each other - for how long, neither knew - until finally a car passed and backfired just as it drove by. They both turned to look at the passing vehicle for a moment then looked back at each other.

"Thank you for the noodles," Sakaki said softly.

"Thank you for the tie." He glanced down at the narrow rectangular box tucked under his arm.

"I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow?" She bowed slightly and walked back towards her home.

"Yeah, tomorrow." The boy started to walk down the street to the apartment complex that was currently his home but stopped abruptly and turned. "Sakaki-chan, may I walk with you to school tomorrow, if you don't mind?"

Sakaki turned and stared at him for a moment, then graced him with a faint smile and nodded. "I'd like that."

A happy grin crossed Ashitaka's face and he bowed low. "Till tomorrow morning, Sakaki-chan." Then he turned and went on his way.

(000)

Upon entering her house, Sakaki went straight to the kitchen where her mother was preparing dinner. She apologized for coming home so late and informed her mother that she had eaten already so she wouldn't be joining them for dinner. Her mother was none too happy and didn't hesitate to let Sakaki know this. After receiving a not so healthy dose of guilt from her mother, she apologized a second time. Going into her room, she locked the door and lay down on her bed, feeling both confused and guilty.

After a little while memories of events that occurred earlier that day crossed her mind.

**_"You must think I'm the world's most boring date."_**

****

****

****

**_"Well, here's to the most boring couple in Tokyo."_**

"Date? Couple?" She rolled over and started up at the ceiling. "Was this really my first date? Are we a couple now?" She reached over and grabbed her stuffed kitten, held it tightly in her arms, and sighed. "I wonder if he likes me?" Rolling onto her side, Sakaki closed her eyes and successfully replaced the feelings of guilt her mother conjured up within her with feelings of contentment that she felt when she was with Ashitaka.

"Oh my gosh!" She sprang out of bed. "I've got to let everyone know he hates tuna." She darted out of her room and down the hall to the phone.

(To Be Continued)

AN: Well, I hope you liked it. Sorry for any and all errors there may be in it. Unfortunately, I have been unable to get in contact with my Beta-reader for over a month now and to be honest, I've very worried. I consider her one of my dearest friends and being out of touch with her for so long is driving me nuts. On top of that, I had to edit the chapter myself, and I don't come close her when it comes to editing.

Hope things are starting to get interesting enough for you. Stuff is about to get a whole lot more complicated in the next chapter as a girl other than Sakaki decides she likes Ashitaka enough to take the chance and ask him to be her boyfriend. What will Ashitaka do? Does he have feelings for this other girl as well? And what will be Sakaki's reaction? I hope to answer all of these questions in my next chapter, "Boyfriend…Girlfriend".

Please, if you enjoyed reading this chapter, take a moment to write a review. Nothing motivates me more than hearing from you. Your words of encouragement are the fuel that keeps my creative juices flowing.

A. Amishi


	6. Chapter 6: Let’s eat together Tell him

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

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Azumanga Daioh: A Heart to Love

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Chapter 6: Let's eat lunch together … Tell him how I feel

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"Good morning, Sakaki-chan," the boy said with a smile, pushing off the fence that surrounded Sakaki's house.

"Good morning, Ashitaka-kun." She smiled back after securing the gate closed. "I hope you're feeling better today." A hint of guilt flashed in her eyes.

"Mmm, much, thank you." He nodded, walking beside his classmate towards school. "I guess now I know for a fact, no matter how much I hate tuna, eating it won't kill me," he laughed.

"I'm really sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, it's not your fault."

"Weeeellllll…… yeah, it sort of is…" She looked over at him sheepishly.

He gave her a questioning gaze.

"See, I told everyone you liked tuna." She stared at the ground to hide her embarrassment. "BUT that was before you told me you didn't!" She looked back up at him. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to contact everyone to let them know the truth. Sorry."

"It's okay. You tried." He smiled. "Besides, the tempura and curry rice you and Chiyo-sempai made me were delicious."

"I'm glad you liked it." She smiled. "To be honest, Chiyo-chan helped me make the curry rice. I'm not much of a cook, myself." She blushed and turned away.

"That's not true, Sakaki-san." The two teenagers turned to see Chiyo standing in front of the gate to her house. "You did most of the work, I just helped a little bit."

"Good morning, Chiyo-sempai." Ashitaka bowed.

The girl giggled and bowed back. "Good morning, Ashitaka-kun. Good morning, Sakaki-san."

"Good morning, Chiyo-chan." The taller girl smiled.

The three friends fell into step as they made their way to school.

"Yomi-chan is supposed to be back today, isn't she?" Chiyo asked.

"Yes," Sakaki answered simply.

"I'm so glad." Chiyo smiled.

"So am I," Ashitaka agreed with a nod and a smile.

Sakaki looked over at Ashitaka with a hint of pain in her eyes.

"Aren't you glad Yomi-chan is coming back, Sakaki-san?" Chiyo asked.

"Oh, yes… of course." She offered the child prodigy a faint grin.

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(000)

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In classroom 3, most of the students were already in the room, but it was still several minutes before the start of class when Koyomi Mizuhara walked in. Chiyo was the first to notice her arrival, and stood and applauded. One by one, each of the students stood and joined in.

Yomi stopped and blushed. She waved her hand to get everyone to settle down. "Thanks, thanks, everyone." She made her way to her desk while trying desperately to chase away the flushed feeling.

"Boy, Yomi-chan, you embarrass easy," Tomo said, jumping from her seat behind her longtime friend onto the desk next to her in just one step. "So how's your head?" She poked at her friend.

"Ouch! Stop that!"

"I thought you were all better?" the short-haired girl asked with an inquisitive look as she tried to poke her friend again.

Yomi grabbed her friend's wrist before she could touch her again. "I am better, but it's still a little tender, so stop it."

"Yomi-san?"

The girl looked up. "Oh, Ashitaka-kun." She smiled.

The boy stood nervously in front of the girl, his hands behind his back. "Umm…" He glanced over at Tomo for a moment. "Might I speak with you… just for a minute?"

"Sure." Yomi looked over at her friend expectantly, but Tomo just sat on the desk smiling and swinging her feet freely.

"Tomo…"

"Yomi…" the shorter girl replied.

"Leave!" the sandy-haired girl said firmly.

"Oooh, you want to talk privately. Okay, I get it." She hopped off the desk and headed over to Kagura's desk.

"I doubt it," Yomi said under her breath. With her friend gone, she smiled up at the boy and asked, "You wanted to talk to me about something, Ashitaka-kun?"

"Yeah, well…" He turned his gaze aside for a moment before looking back at the girl. "I… I just wanted to say again that I'm sorry for what happened..." He brought his hands out from behind his back, revealing something wrapped in a handkerchief. "And to give you this."

With an uncertain expression, Yomi slowly reached out and accepted the boy's gift. Unfolding the handkerchief, she looked at the object for a moment, then looked up at him and said, "A softball?"

"It's the ball I hit you with. I thought you should have it." He shrugged. "So if you ever feel the need, you can always bean me with it, if you want." He gave a half smile.

She started to giggle, but cleared her throat to stop herself. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." She pulled the handkerchief out from under the ball to hand it back to the boy, but he put his hands up in protest.

"That's okay, you can keep that too. Keep it with the ball. You can use it to dust it… or something." He grinned, shifting his feet self-consciously.

"Thank you again." She smiled, then quickly wrapped the ball back up and placed it in her bag. Seeing the two bentos in there, she steeled her will and looked up at the boy. "I know everyone made you lunch the other day. I hope you liked it?"

"Yes!" He looked down momentarily. "Yes, it was very good. Even the tuna dishes."

_So Chiyo-chan was right. He really doesn't like tuna._

"Well, since I wasn't here…" She looked away, glancing around the room quickly to see if any of her friends were watching them. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I thought maybe we could have lunch together today. I brought something I think you'll like." She began to blush. "That is, if you don't have other plans for lunch?"

"No… I mean, that would be great." He smiled. "I look forward to it."

Just then the bell rang and Yukari walked into the room. "Okay, everyone, take your seats!"

Ashitaka smiled and nodded at Yomi one last time before heading for his desk.

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(000)

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The two classmates sat quietly on the roof of the building, eating lunch together. Though it was officially spring already, it was still too cold to sit outdoors comfortably, but in order to avoid interruptions from her friends, Yomi had suggested this location and Ashitaka had politely agreed.

"So, what do you think?" she asked anxiously.

"Hmm?" The boy looked up, his face practically buried in the bento and his mouth filled with food.

She giggled at the sight of him, taking it as a positive response to her inquiry. "Sorry, don't let me interrupt you. Go on, eat." She smiled, then returned to her food as well.

The boy gave her a big stupid grin and continued devouring his food.

A few minutes later he was finished and carefully closed the box and wiped the chopsticks clean. "That was delicious, Yomi-san."

While she still had some food left in her bento, Yomi decided against finishing it, instead closing it and putting the two boxes away in her schoolbag. "Really? I mean, you really liked it? You're not just saying it to be polite?"

"It was wonderful, honest." He smiled and bowed. "Thank you."

Yomi knew exactly what she wanted to do, but a proper girl from Tokyo didn't resort to such actions. _Still_, she reasoned with herself, _This is my final year of high school. Who knows if I'll ever have another chance with anyone like him?_ Slowly, she reached out and placed her hand into his. "You're welcome, Ashitaka-kun." She stared deeply into his eyes. "I'm really glad you liked it."

The boy's smile melted from his face as he returned the girl's intense stare. "Yomi-san?"

"You don't have to be so formal, Ashitaka-kun." She slid a little closer to him.

"Yomi-chan?" was all he could respond with.

"Ashitaka-kun, there's something I've been wanting to ask you. Something… very important." She looked down at their hands, bringing her other hand over and clasping his hand in between hers. "Ashitaka-kun…" She looked up into his big bright eyes. "Would you be my boyfriend?"

The boy's breathing suddenly got very shallow and his palms started to sweat despite the chill in the air. "Yomi-chan…"

"I know it's sudden, but when you visited me at the hospital," she looked down at their hands again, "I knew… I just knew I wanted to be with you." She looked back up at him. "I know I'm probably not nearly as pretty as the girlfriends you had back home, or even as pretty as the other girls here who've probably already asked you to be their boyfriend … but I can make you lunches like this one everyday and…"

Ashitaka gently pressed the fingers of his free hand to her lips. "Yomi-chan, I've never had a girlfriend before, and no one here has asked me to be their boyfriend," he assured her. "As far as I'm concerned, you're very beautiful."

"Really?" Her heart pounded furiously in her chest.

He nodded. "And smart, and funny. I can't imagine any boy not wanting you as their girlfriend." He smiled warmly.

She smiled as well, but it quickly faded away. "But…"

"The past few years I was raised by my great-grandfather, and he's very old-fashioned, especially when it comes to relationships between boys and girls. I guess some of his values rubbed off on me, because this isn't something I'd want to take lightly. The last think I'd ever want to do is hurt you," he explained.

"What are you saying, Ashitaka-kun?" A hint of fear crept over her.

"I… I guess what I'm saying is… is can I have a little time? A little time to think it over?" he asked.

Yomi's heart sank and so did her expression.

"I promise to give you an answer, a real answer, this time tomorrow." He clasped her hands between his. "I promise."

She did her best to force a smile. "Of course."

He gave a gentle tug on her hands to pull her up. "Yomi-chan, I want you to know… I'm really honored that you'd even think about wanting me as your boyfriend. I know this couldn't be easy…" He offered her a warm smile. "Thank you." Then he leaned forward and gave her a faint kiss on her forehead.

She blushed deeply and looked away. "We should probably be getting back to class." She looked back at him. "People might begin to talk."

He nodded and bent over to pick up her bag. "Thanks for lunch, it was delicious."

Her smile grew. "You already thanked me."

"Did I?" He grinned and looked up.

Yomi laughed, leading the way back to their classroom.

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(000)

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"See you tomorrow, Sakaki-san, Ashitaka-kun!" Chiyo waved before unlocking the gate to her house.

"See you tomorrow, Chiyo-chan," Sakaki replied softly, giving a subtle hand gesture good-bye.

"Till tomorrow, Chiyo-sempai." Ashitaka bowed.

Chiyo giggled then went inside, and the two classmates continued walking down the street.

"Why do you do that?" Sakaki asked suddenly.

"Do what?"

"Call Chiyo sempai and act so formal around her." She looked over at him.

The boy scratched the back of his head as he considered her question. "Do you think I shouldn't do that?"

"It's not that, I'm just curious. I mean, you are kinda formal anyway…"

"Am I?" He gave her a surprised look.

"Not that it's a bad thing. You just seem to take it even further with Chiyo-chan."

"Well… I guess it's probably because of my sister." Ashitaka moved his schoolbag over his shoulder and stuffed his other hand in his pocket.

"Your sister?"

"Mmm… I guess Chiyo-chan sort of reminds me of my sister." He stared at the ground ahead of him.

"Do they look alike?" Sakaki clasped the handle of her bag with both hands.

"No, not really, but my sister was very small for her age, so other kids use to make fun of her a lot, even kids in lower grades would tease her." A somber expression crossed the young man's face. "Because of that I use to act very formal around her and treat her like she was my older sister rather than my kid sister. At first, she thought I was just making fun of her too, but after awhile she saw that I was trying to cheer her up."

"Oh, I see." Sakaki nodded.

"In class, everyone treats Chiyo-chan just like any other student, but I have the feeling that that might not be the case with the other students in our school, especially the underclassmen."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Sakaki smiled. "That's very nice of you."

The boy shrugged. "It's nothing really. With as young as she is, it's easy to think of Chiyo… sempai as my sister."

Sakaki nodded and smiled to herself as they continued walking.

"What's her name?"

"Hmm?"

"Your sister, what's her name?" She smiled over at him.

"Oh, ammmm, it's… Hitomi." The boy turned away suddenly and blinked repeatedly.

"Hitomi, that's a nice name." Sakaki's smile grew. "Is she blonde like you?"

The boy's heart began to race and his forehead beaded with sweat. "Sakaki-san?"

The girl stopped suddenly. "Is something wrong, Ashitaka-kun?"

He stopped a few steps ahead of her with his head hung low. She waited patiently for a response.

Finally, after several long minutes, the boy spoke. "Something happened at school today, during the lunch hour."

Sakaki nodded. "I was going to ask you where you went. Chiyo-chan, Kagura-san, and I thought you were going to join us, like you did last week."

Still facing away from her, he continued. "Yomi-chan made me lunch today. We ate together up on the roof."

"Oh," was her only response.

"She asked me a question and I promised her an answer by lunchtime tomorrow." He paused, half expecting Sakaki to reply in some way, but the girl remained silent. "She asked me to be her boyfriend."

Sakaki's heart skipped a beat and her throat tightened up, preventing her from speaking.

"She's a very nice girl. She's smart, and funny, and beautiful. I've been thinking all afternoon if there was any reason, any reason at all, why I shouldn't be her boyfriend." Slowly, he turned around to face the dark-haired girl. "Can you think of any reason, Sakaki-chan?"

The girl stared into the boy's ocean blue eyes as her mind screamed inside her head. _Yes, tell him you like him! Tell him you feel comfortable around him, just like he said he felt comfortable around you! Tell him you already feel like you're almost dating, the way you walk to and from school everyday! Tell him you want to be his girlfriend! TELL HIM! _Ever so slowly, Sakaki shook her head. "Nnnooo, I can't think of any reason. Yomi-chan is a wonderful girl and a good friend. I'm sure she'll make you very happy." She forced a smile.

Ashitaka gave her a weak smile. Glancing over, he recognized where they were. "Looks like you're home already."

Sakaki looked over as well. "Yes…" She looked back at him. "I'll see you in the morning?"

Ashitaka took several deep breaths, than answered, "Till tomorrow."

They stood staring at each other a while longer.

"Goodnight, Sakaki-chan," he said softly.

"Goodnight, Ashitaka-kun," she whispered.

Turning slowly, the boy continued on down the street. The girl stood in front of her house, watching the boy walk away. After he turned into his apartment building, she unlocked the gate and walked inside.

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(000)

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Stopping at the doorway of the kitchen, Sakaki announced, "I'm home."

Without looking up, her mother replied, "Your father and I have an appointment tonight, so we're having dinner early today. It should be ready in a half hour."

"I'm not hungry," she informed her mother.

"I didn't ask you if you were hungry, I said dinner is in a half hour," the woman snapped, still focused on the pot she was stirring. "Let your brother know too."

"Yes, ma'am." The tall girl retreated to the stairway and headed up to her room, stopping briefly to knock on her little brother's bedroom door. "Mom says dinner's in a half hour."

"ALL RIGHT!" The door flew open and a ten year old about half her size rushed past her and down the stairs.

"Walk! Or you'll hurt yourself!" She cried out, but two-thirds of the way down, the boy jumped the rest of the way and headed for the kitchen.

Sakaki shook her head and went to her room. Inside, she locked the door behind her and climbed into bed. Grabbing a large stuffed cat, she hugged it tightly and buried her face in its soft fluffy head. _Why couldn't I tell him I like him? Why couldn't I say anything? Why couldn't I say anything? …_

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(000)

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The next morning, Sakaki made sure she was ready for school early and stood outside her gate waiting for Ashitaka to show up. _If I tell him now, before he talks to Yomi, then maybe… just maybe…_ She rolled the tiny bits of gravel under her shoe while she waited.

Looking up the road, there was still no sign of the boy. Checking her watch for the third time, she sighed and started walking. She caught up to Chiyo half way to school.

"Morning, Chiyo-chan," she said in her usual quiet manner.

"Oh, good morning, Sakaki-san." The young girl smiled, then looked around with a hint of confusion. "Isn't Ashitaka-kun with you?"

The taller girl lowered her head slightly. "No, he never showed up."

"Oh…" The girl looked troubled. "I hope he's all right."

Sakaki nodded in agreement.

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(000)

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Standing next to her shoe locker, Sakaki tried to think of how she would approach the boy. _Ashitaka-kun, remember when you asked me if I could think of any reason why you shouldn't be Yomi's boyfriend? Well, I thought about it some more. In fact, I thought about it all night, and… and I was able to come up with one reason…_

"Good morning, Sakaki-san," she heard said behind her. Turning suddenly, she saw the sandy-haired girl with glasses smiling broadly as she slipped off her shoes and slipped on her school shoes.

"Good morning, Yomi-chan," the taller girl replied. Already knowing the answer, she asked, "Why so happy?"

The other girl looked to the side and shrugged. Her face suddenly turning flushed as her smile grew. "I guess I'm just feeling hopeful today."

"Hopeful?"

"Mmm, hopeful that today will turn out to be a really good day." She looked up at the other girl, still smiling.

It was then that Sakaki saw something in the girl's eyes she had never seen before, not in Yomi's eyes, not in the eyes of any of her friends. There was a softness to them, a sense of joy that both warmed her heart and broke it at the same time. Forcing a smile, Sakaki replied, "Well, I wish whatever it is you're hoping for comes to pass."

"Thanks, Sakaki-san. I don't know why, but I have a strong feeling it will." She smiled once again. Placing her shoes in her cubby, she turned to her friend one more time, "See you in class." Then she walked away.

Sakaki watched the other girl turn down the hall before she let out a sad sigh and leaned up against the lockers. _I can't say anything to Ashitaka-kun. Not without breaking Yomi-chan's heart. _She squeezed her eyes closed and wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm late! I'm late!" Tomo came flying past the girl, kicked her shoes off, switched them with her school shoes, and shoved her feet into them. She hopped her way to class, reaching behind her to get the back of her shoe on correctly, first with her right foot, then her left.

Slowly, Sakaki pushed off the lockers and headed to class.

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(To Be Continued)

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AN: Hope things are starting to get interesting for you. I know they are for me. Just in case you are wondering, yes, this is still a Sakaki romance, but sometimes romance doesn't go smoothly. I'm so happy to have my beta-reader back, doing an awesome job as always. By the way, if you find any errors in my notes here, that's because I wrote them after she edited the story for me. P

Thank you for reading and especially thank you for reviewing. I love to hear your thoughts on my work.

A. Amishi


	7. Chapter 7: Boyfriend I like you

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.

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Asumanga Daioh: A Heart to Love

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Chapter 7: I'll be your boyfriend… I like you

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"So what do you think?"

"Well, speaking as your vice-principal, I'd have to say, that studying for your college entrance exams is far more important right now then any social life you may hope for. While both Sakaki-san and Mizuhara-san are both very good students, neither is particularly exceptional, unlike Mihama-san. In addition, your own goal of attending Tokyo University is a lofty one. You're going to have to seriously dedicate yourself to preparing for it. Have you signed up for cram school yet?" The middle-aged man looked pointedly at the young teen.

"No, not yet." He continued to look out the window.

"I see." The man paused for a moment. "Now, as your therapist, I'd have to say, this is a positive step forward. It's been too long since you've allowed anyone to get close to you. Whether it be Sakaki-san or Mizuhara-san, I see it as a positive, and necessary move towards allowing yourself to heal within."

"I wasn't asking if you thought it was a good idea, therapeutically."

The older man laughed. "No, of course not. Sorry, old habits and all. Well, from what you've told me, you enjoy spending time with Sakaki-san but are unsure of her feelings for you, and you find Mizuhara-san attractive and you obviously know she likes you. Hmmm… Sounds like you have quite a dilemma."

"Thank you, Sensei. You've been so-o-o helpful." Ashitaka gave the vice-principal a sarcastic smile and an exaggerated bow.

Again the older man laughed. "The trials of youth." He grinned. "You're a bright young man, Ashitaka-kun. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just make sure it doesn't sidetrack you from your ultimate goal."

The boy nodded. "I guess we're done for today?"

"Unless there's something else you'd like to talk about, and remember, my door's always open whenever you need to talk. Don't feel you can only come during our prescribed sessions." The man stood up and gave the taller boy a pat on the back.

"Yes, Sensei. Thank you." The teen bowed sincerely this time.

"Now go, before you're late for class."

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(000)

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There were still a few minutes before the bell and Yukari hadn't shown up yet when Sakaki and Ashitaka met at the door coming from opposite ends of the hall.

Ashitaka offered the girl a bright smile. "Good morning, Sakaki-chan."

"Morning, Ashitaka-kun," Sakaki answered plainly at first but her expression softened slightly and she added, "We missed you this morning."

"We?"

"Chiyo-chan and me."

"Oh…" He continued to gaze into her eyes, hoping somehow that by this simple act, he would be able to read her thoughts and know whether she liked him at all, or was simply a polite person, as he suspected.

"About the question you asked me yesterday…" Sakaki started.

"Yes?" he asked hopefully.

Glancing in the room for a moment, she caught a glimpse of Yomi smiling happily, and chatting idly with a girl, Sakaki did not know by name.

"I just wanted to say… I think you and Yomi-chan would make a very nice couple. I'm sure Yomi-chan will make you very happy." She lowered her head slightly. "That's all I wanted to say." Then she darted into the room.

"Saka-" The boy never got to finish. Just then the bell ran and he felt a warm breath wash over his ear. "Waiting for me in the hallway, Ashitaka-kun? How bold of you."

The boy jumped. "Yukari-sensei!" He bowed then rushed into the room.

Giggling, the teacher whistled happily as she entered the classroom.

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(000)

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Unlike the day before, this day was unseasonably warm and a lot less windy up on the roof of the school.

Yomi pulled the two bentos out of her school bag and handed one of them to Ashitaka. "It's rice balls with pickled radishes. I hope you like it." She smiled hopefully.

"I'm sure it's delicious." He took it from her and held it in his hand.

Yomi dug around in her bag. "I know I put some disposable chopsticks in here, somewhere."

Setting the bento aside, he reached out and placed his hand over her other hand. "Yomi-chan."

"I know they're in here." She kept rummaging around. "I'm sure I put them in here. I know it."

"Yomi-chan, the chopsticks can wait. I'd like to talk to you." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"No," she replied, without looking up.

"No?"

"No, because I know what you're going to say. I saw you and Sakaki-san talking just outside the classroom. I guess I sort of knew all along. It's not surprising really." She turned away. "Sakaki-san is taller than me. She's prettier and has that mysterious thing going for her, and she's not fat, like me. I know you guys walk together to and from school almost everyday. I guess, I was hoping that if I asked you to be my boyfriend first, that maybe I'd have a chance." She looked up at him with watery eyes and smiled. "Silly, huh?"

"Yomi-chan… " The boy ran his palm along her cheek, bringing his finger along her lower eyelid, and capturing the tear that formed there. "You're not fat." He smiled. "And I think you're very pretty, and smart, and funny. Besides, what you saw was Sakaki-san telling me we'd make a nice couple, you and I. She said, you'd make me happy."

The sandy-haired girl's brow wrinkled in confusion. "She said that?"

He nodded. "And I think… I think she's right."

Yomi's quivering lips slowly formed into a weak smile. "You… you do?"

He nodded. "I do."

Standing up, the girl bowed her head and declared, "I promise, I'll do my best to make you happy. I will… I promise."

Ashitaka placed his hands upon her shoulders, causing her to gasp in surprise, and look up at him. "And I'll do my best to make you happy, Yomi-chan. I promise." He smiled warmly.

This time Yomi smiled was genuine, but it quickly turned to surprise when the boy started to lean in towards her. Automatically, she began arching her back slowly in an attempt to keep a safe distance from him. Seeing him tilt his head slightly and slowly close his eyes erased any doubt concerning his intentions. Yomi drew in a sharp breath and closed her eyes as well, preparing herself for her first kiss.

"So this is where you guys ran off to!"

Ashitaka instantly released the girl and she stumbled back a couple of steps. He stuffed one hand in his pocket and scratched the back of his head with the other. "Haha, yeah, you found us."

"What'ya'll doin up here?" Osaka asked, following Tomo through the door.

"That's what I want to know!" The short-haired girl hurried over to her friend. "What were you to up to, just now? Huh?"

Caught off guard for a moment, Yomi's glasses suddenly steamed up. "Uh, well…"

"Yomi-chan, why are you blushing?" Osaka wondered aloud.

"Tomo-san, you were right, they are up here." Chiyo said with a smile as she walked out onto the roof with her friends. "Hello, Ashitaka-kun, we missed you this morning."

Ashitaka smiled. "Sorry, Chiyo-sempai. I had an early appointment."

Tired of waiting for a response from her friend, Tomo turned to the boy and asked, "So what were you to doing just now, when we showed up?" She grinned knowingly.

"We were just talking. That's all." The boy sat back down and picked up the bento Yomi had given him earlier. "Did you ever find those chopsticks, Yomi-chan?"

"Huh?" It took a moment for Yomi to get her composure back but once she did, she played along perfectly. "Oh, yeah, they're in my bag, I think." She walked over next to him and picked up her school bag. Flipping it open, she searched for a minute. "Ah, here we go." She pulled out two sets and handed the boy one.

"Thanks." He turned his head toward her and winked so the others couldn't see.

Keeping her face forward, she lowered her head slightly and gave him a smile, then turned and sat down next to him, picking up her bento as well. "We better hurry."

The boy nodded and wasted no time digging into his food.

Chiyo sat next to him and pulled out her bento as well. Tomo and Osaka sat next to Yomi and opened the sandwiches they picked up at the cafeteria.

After a few minutes of silence, Chiyo said, "It's a shame Sakaki-san always eats her lunch in the classroom. It's such a nice day today."

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(000)

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Sakaki sat at her desk, poking at the lunch her mother made for her. She was not one to waste time when eating, but today, she just wasn't hungry, or at least that's what she told herself. She sighed and continued poking at the food.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think it's dead, so it should be safe to eat."

Looking up, Sakaki saw Kagura standing next to her with a grin on her face. "What?"

"Your lunch." She pointed. "I don't think stabbing it will kill it any more than it already is."

The long-haired girl looked back down at her food. "I'm just not hungry, I guess." She closed her bento, tore open a wet-wipe pouch, and wiped her chopsticks clean, then put both back in her bag. Setting her elbow on her desk, she rested her chin upon her hand and stared blankly ahead.

Kagura tilted her head and wrinkled her brow. "Is something wrong, Sakaki-san?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at the other girl.

Shaking her head, the young swimming star sat down sideways in the seat in front of Sakaki, and placed her hands on the back of the chair. "Okay, what's bothering you?"

Sakaki's eyes went wide and her sat up straight as a board. "Y-you're…"

Kagura shook her head. "I'm, I'm what?" She stood up and spun the chair around then sat back down and drew close to the other girl's desk. "What is it, Sakaki-san?"

The taller girl started to perspire and hyperventilate. "Y-you're… in…" Unable to take it anymore, she jumped to her feet, rushed out of the room, and headed to the restroom.

Kagura just stared dumbfounded after her. "Weird."

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(000)

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In the restroom, Sakaki splashed cold water upon her face then slowly raised her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She sighed and reached of a paper towel to dry herself.

"Here," a familiar voice said, placing a towel in her hand.

"Thanks." Sakaki started to pad herself dry, then gasped in shock and turned to see Yomi standing behind her, smiling from ear to ear. "Yomi-chan!"

"Didn't mean to startle you, Sakaki-san. I just wanted to thank you." The girl bowed sharply, smiling even more broadly.

"Thank me?"

"Ashitaka-kun told me how you encouraged him in making his decision… to become my boyfriend." She slapped her hands against the sides of her legs. "He told me how you said you thought that he and I would make nice couple, and that I'd make him happy." Unable to contain herself anymore, Yomi lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the taller girl, pressing her cheek against her breasts. "Thank you so much."

Sakaki froze in shock. Never before had anyone hugged her like this, not even her parents.

Feeling how rigid, her friend had become, Yomi quickly released her and took a step back. "Sorry." She chuckled softly. "I just… thank you, Sakaki-san." She bowed once again. "Thank you." Then she turned and left the restroom.

The tall girl stood with a wet paper towel in her hand and water dripping from her chin.

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(000)

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When the last bell of the day sounded, Ashitaka quickly placed his things in his bag, stood up, turned around and waited for the girl who sat behind him to finish getting ready.

"Aren't you ready yet, Sakaki-san?" Chiyo said with a giggle, coming up next to the tall boy. "She's so slow sometimes, don't you agree, Ashitaka-kun?"

The boy looked down at the diminutive twelve-year old and smiled. "Yes, very slow sometimes." He turned to the girl in question and offered her a smile and a wink.

Sakaki gave him a hesitant smile back, then a moment later stood up and announced, "Okay, I'm ready."

The sound of someone clearing her throat caught their attention. Turning they saw Yomi standing near by, her hands clasped together over the handle of her school bag. She smiled up at her boyfriend, waiting and hoping he would get the hint.

He stared at her for a moment, not sure what to do or say. Finally, it dawned on him and he grudgingly asked, "W-would you like me to walk you home, Yomi-chan?"

Her smile grew until she noticed the other two girls staring at her, then she cleared her throat and stared up at the ceiling. "If you want to. I don't want to make you go out of your way, or anything."

"No, that's okay," the boy replied. Turning to the other two girls, he said, "I guess I'll see you in the morning." He smiled and gave them a nod goodbye.

"See you tomorrow morning, Ashitaka-kun, Yomi-san." Chiyo bowed.

"Bye." Sakaki gave a subtle wave and watch him leave with his new girlfriend.

"That's strange. Why is Ashitaka-kun walking Yomi-san home? She lives in almost the opposite direction." Chiyo wondered out loud.

Sakaki looked around the room and saw a few of their classmates looking over their way.

"Come on, Chiyo-chan, I'll explain outside," she whispered and lead the way out.

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(000)

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"So Ashitaka-kun and Yomi-san are dating now?" Chiyo asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Ah-huh." Sakaki nodded.

"But…" The young girl in ponytails looked down at her feet.

"But what, Chiyo-chan?"

"But… I thought you and Ashitaka-kun were sort of… like… dating already." She looked up at her friend, sheepishly.

Sakaki stopped and looked away. Her breathing became labored as she tried to compose herself. "No, we're just friends. Just like you and Ashitaka-kun, nothing more." Finally, she turned back towards her friend and gave her a faint smile. "That's all, just friends."

"But Ashitaka-kun seemed to like you so much."

"You think so, Chiyo-chan?"

"Mmm hmm, he always seemed so happy whenever he was around you, Sakaki-san." The girl paused a moment, looking thoughtfully at the ground, then looked back up at her friend. "Sakaki-san, don't you like Ashitaka-kun?"

"Aaa…" The older girl was beside herself, unable to answer.

"Why didn't you tell Ashitaka-kun you liked him?" Chiyo asked.

Sakaki blushed and turned away. "Its too late now, Chiyo-chan. Yomi-chan already told him she likes him. She already asked him to be her boyfriend… and he said, yes." A tear escaped her eye and she brushed it away roughly. "I have to go, Chiyo-chan." She started to run down the street.

"But Sakaki-san…"

"See you tomorrow, Chiyo-chan!"

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(000)

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With lips quivering, and eyes red and watery, Sakaki burst into her house and slammed the door behind her. She rushed up the stairs and into her room, locking the door. The tall, strong girl felt completely drained. She staggered to her bed and collapsed upon it, grabbing one of her stuffed animals and holding it tightly in her arms. A steady flow of tears fell upon her pillow until she fell asleep a few minutes later.

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A half hour before her normal bedtime, Sakaki woke up. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she slowly got off her bed and wobbled her way to the door. Still rubbing her eyes, she walked down the stairs and past the living room.

"Finally!" Her mother snapped. "The oversized princess graces us with her presence." She said scornfully from the sofa where she busily mended one of her husband's work shirts.

"Sorry," the teen said meekly.

"Your father works hard to put food on the table. The least you could do is honor him by showing up when it's time to eat."

"Yes ma'am." She bowed. "Sorry father." She bowed again.

Her father never looked up from his newspaper.

"Fine. If you're hungry, the food is in the refrigerator. You know how to use the microwave." He mother's anger subsided a bit.

"Yes ma'am." Sakaki bowed once more and took a step towards the kitchen.

"But before you eat, go to the store and get some milk for breakfast and some soy sauce, I'm running low. You know where my purse is."

"Yes, ma'am. Anything else," the girl said softly.

"Yes, buy some udon noodles but only if they're on sale." The woman said, while still concentrating on her sewing.

"Yes ma'am." Sakaki turned and started towards the entrance when her mother snapped.

"Is that how I raised you. To be so disrespectful!" Her mother jumped to her feet.

"I'm sorry ma'am." Sakaki bowed low.

Her mother stomped up to her and slapped her across the face, causing the girl to gasp in shock. It had been at least four years since her mother hit her and while it wasn't hard enough to hurt her physically. It had the effect the woman wanted it to have.

"I raised you, I pick up after you, and feed you! Don't think for a second you can go on without showing me the proper respect! Someday, you'll be on your own, and you won't have me around to do everything for you. And don't you think you'll have a man around to take care of you! What man would want a tall, ugly girl like you?"

"Honey! That's enough." Her husband lowered his paper and gave his wife a stern look.

"Don't look at me that way! You know it's true. She's a big monkey and she knows it, and so do you. Go back to your paper." She gestured, and the man did as he was told. "Now what was I saying?" She looked at her daughter who stood waiting patiently with her head bowed low. "Well, don't just stand there, get going before it gets any later." She turned and sat back down.

"Yes ma'am." Sakaki bowed and headed for the door, stopping at the small table in the hall where her mother's purse was, she took out some money then slipped on her shoes and left.

Sakaki took her time walking down the street. With her mother in one of her moods, she was in no rush to get back home. She stared up at the stars and the moon, and wondered what life must be like billions upon billions of light-years away. Without realizing it, she crossed over to the other side of the street and was half running as she spun round and round trying to make out the constellations. "I wonder if Karon-san knows all the constellations?"

Suddenly, she felt a sharp blow to her back which knocker her off-balance and sent her to the ground. "Ouch!"

"Sorry! Sakaki-chan?"

The girl rolled over and looked up. "Ashitaka-kun?"

"Oh, gosh, I'm so-o sorry." He reached down and took her hands, pulling her up to her feet in one swift yank. Being a bit over zealous in his effort to help her up, he caused the girl to stumble forward and bump into him.

"Oh, sorry," she whispered, noticing for the first time how much taller he was than her. She took a step back and stared up at him.

His eyes were already gazing down into hers and for a moment they were the only two people in the world. A gentle breeze blow, sending a shiver up Sakaki's spin and causing her to realize that her hands were still in his. "Hmm." She slipped her hands free.

"Oh, sorry." He chuckled and rubbed his hands together.

"You don't need to apologize." She smiled while dusting herself off.

"Yes, I do. I'm really sorry of knocking you down. It was very careless of me."

"It wasn't your fault, really. I was… sort of spaced out." She admitted. "Ouch!" She pulled her hand away from her knee, slightly startled by the dark stain on it.

"Good God, you're bleeding." The boy grabbed her hand, staring angrily at it.

"It's nothing, really. Just a scratch." She insisted.

"We should get it cleaned, right away, before it gets infected." He pulled her along.

"Where are we going?" She asked, offering little resistance.

"To my apartment. This is my building." He guided her to the elevator, which opened almost as soon as he pressed the button.

"It's really not necessary, Ashitaka-kun. Really, it's just a scratch." She insisted, but he had already pulled her into the elevator and was on one knee examining her leg.

Sakaki gasped when she felt his hands tough the sides of her knee.

Standing back up he informed her, "It's still bleeding." A moment later, the elevator stopped at the fourth floor and they stepped out and headed to apartment 402. Pulling out his keys, he unlocked the door, and opened it for the girl.

She hesitated for a moment, having never been in a boy's home before, but this was Ashitaka-kun, she reasoned and slowly walked in. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the door lock. Then his hand was in hers, guiding her to the sofa in the living room.

He flicked on the lights. "I'll be right back." Then he turned and disappeared down the hall. A moment later, he returned with a small first-aid kit, a bowl of warm water, and a washcloth. He knelt down in front of her and dipped the washcloth in the water. Ringing it out, he began gently wiped around her knee and dabbed the cloth over the injured area as well.

Sakaki's face turned bright red and she bit her lower lip. She clinched her fists at her sides, and tensed up her shoulders.

"I'm really sorry. I'm not usually so careless when leaving the apartment," he said without looking up. Satisfied that he had cleaned the area sufficiently, Ashitaka opened the first aid kit and took out a small aerosol can. "Now, this might sting a bit." He spread it on her wound.

She drew he leg back slightly.

"Sorry." He immediately stopped spraying.

"No!" She leaned forward then slowly eased back. "I mean, it didn't hurt, it sort of tickled."

The boy smiled up at her and nodded. He sprayed the wound once more then used the washcloth to pad off the excess that started to run down her leg. Taking out a bandage, the teen was about to apply it to the scratch when he noticed how damp the area was. Leaning in close, he gently blew around the injury.

Sakaki felt the blood rushing to her face and bit her lower lip again.

Satisfied the area was dry enough, Ashitaka gently applied the bandage. When he was certain it was secure, he leaned forward, kissed the bandage and smiled. "There, all better." He looked up and saw the wide-eyed, flushed expression on the girl's face and he instantly blushed. "S-sorry, Sakaki-chan." He looked away. "Just a habit I picked up from my mother, I guess." Quickly, he picked everything up and hurried to the bathroom.

Sakaki, who was still blushing, heard the sound of the plastic bowl bouncing around and then the boy screamed, "SHIT!" She couldn't help but chuckle softly, putting her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

A short time later, Ashitaka emerged from the bathroom, futilely trying to dry himself with a towel. Seeing him padding himself just made it harder for her to control her laughter.

The angry boy looked up when he heard a strange sound coming from the girl. Seeing her with her hands over her mouth, in a desperate attempt to keep from laughing out loud, melted away his anger instantly. Smiling, he looked down at himself and laughed. A moment later she joined in.

They continued to laugh for several minutes before the boy settled down enough to speak. "I'll be right back." He gestured to the closed door behind him. I'll just go change." He continued to snicker.

Sakaki placed her hand over her mouth again and nodded.

A few minutes later, Ashitaka re-emerged from his bedroom wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

Seeing her classmate like this stopped Sakaki's laughter instantly.

"Is something wrong, Sakaki-chan?" The boy tilted his head and looked down at himself. "Is there something on my clothes?"

Sakaki blushed and turned away. "No, you look … fine." She turned an even brighter shade of red. Standing up, she kept her eyes on the floor and started walking towards the door.

"Wha… where are you going?" Ashitaka moved in parallel with her, being sure to keep his distance.

"I have to go to the store. My mother needed some things." She replied while reaching for the doorknob.

"Sakaki-chan!"

She stared at her hand as it held the doorknob tightly. Taking a few deep breaths, she turned and offered the boy a modest smile then bowed. "Thank you for taking care of my knee." Hesitantly, she looked up into his eyes. "I have to go now."

"Sakaki-san!"

She stopped and looked back at the boy.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came.

"Yes, Ashitaka-kun?"

His eyes darted around the room trying to think of something, anything to say. Looking over at the stove, he blurted out. "Are you hungry? Would you like some stew?" He mentally slapped himself in the forehead. _Idiot! Of course, she's not hungry. It's way past dinnertime._

"Stew?" The emptiness in her stomach made itself known to her.

The boy smiled. "Yeah, I made some Kalops."

"What?"

"Kalops… oh, I mean beef stew." He gestured awkwardly towards the stove. "I had a taste for it for as long as I can remember." Quickly, he moved to the small round kitchen table and pulled out one of the chairs. "Here." He then darted over to the stove and touched the side of the pot. "Ssst!"

"Are you alright?" Sakaki took a step towards him.

He shook his hand while offering her a wide grin. "Yeah, fine. Hahaha… Pot's still a bit hot is all. I was just on my way to the store too, to get some bread to have with the stew."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sakaki took a step back towards the door.

"No!" He moved towards her. "It's okay. It's not really necessary." He pulled the chair a little further out. "Please sit. I'll serve us both." He turned and opened one of the cabinets, and took out two bowls.

Still unsure, but not wanting to be rude, Sakaki slowly sat at the table and folded her hands over her lap.

Having filled both bowls, Ashitaka set them down on the table and sat down. "Spoon!" He stood back up. "S-sorry." He hurried to the far end of the kitchen and pulled open a drawer, took out two spoons and came back to the table. "Here." He held one out for her to take.

"Thank you." Sakaki accepted the spoon, but hesitated in sampling the contents of the bowl.

The boy paused as well. _Is she afraid to try it? She's probably waiting for me to try it first, to see if it doesn't kill me._ He smiled at her then looked down at the bowl and scooped up a large spoonful.

Sakaki smiled and did the same. "Mmm, it's good."

"It's kinda plain. I guess I didn't season it enough. Though, I guess it's supposed to taste like that."

"I think it's very good." The girl reiterated. "What did you call it?"

"Kalops," he replied. Seeing her questioning stare, he elaborated. "It's Swedish beef stew."

"Swedish?"

"Mmm… " He took another spoonful. "My mom used to make it at least once a week. It was one of my dad's favorite dishes."

"You're mom? Was your mom Swedish?"

"Well, she was born and raised in British Columbia, but her family was originally from Sweden."

"British Columbia? That's in Canada, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So, you're only half Japanese."

Ashitaka smiled. "Yeah… I thought it was pretty obvious." He grabbed a lock of his sandy-blonde hair.

Sakaki blushed. "Well, yeah, I guess."

"That's not a problem, is it?" A hint of concern showed upon his face.

"NO!" Sakaki blushed a deeper red and turned aside. "No, it's no problem. I guess I just never considered the possibility, that's all."

Ashitaka smiled again, staring at his guest a bit longer than he should have. Finally, he roused himself and said, "Your stew's getting cold."

"Oh… " Sakaki looked down at the bowl and started eating again.

Ashitaka grinned and began eating as well.

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"Would you like some more?"

"No, thank you. I draw the line at thirds." The girl smiled.

"Thirds? Already?" The boy looked down at the two empty bowls, got up and looked in the pot. "O-oh… I told Yomi-chan I'd bring lunch tomorrow." He moved the ladle around the bottom of the pot, trying to fill it as best he could. "Oh well."

"I-I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"No, that's okay. Don't worry about it." He turned around and smiled at her. "Really, it's okay. I guess I'll just have to go to the store and bye something else to make."

"Oh, well… I was going to the store. Want me to go with you?" Sakaki stood and asked timidly.

"Sure, that'll be great."

Sakaki smiled.

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(000)

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"You didn't have to walk me home, really." Sakaki averted her eyes, "It's not far, and…" She thought of what else to say.

"It's okay. I don't mind." Ashitaka smiled at her, then looked down at the ground. After a moment, he added, "You know, if you ever want to, you can come over… to study, … or for dinner, …. or just to talk. It's okay." He smiled again.

"Ashitaka-kun -"

"Really, I don't mind. Not at all."

"Ashitaka-kun -"

"To tell you the truth, I could use the company sometimes." He offered a mild laugh. "You know, maybe next time I can make some-"

"Ashitaka-kun!" Sakaki started even herself.

The boy bowed his head. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling."

"Ashitaka-kun." She paused for a moment then looked up into his eyes and said, "I don't think I can do that, and I don't think we should walk to school together anymore either."

A sad and confused expression played across the boy's face.

"Yomi-chan is my friend, and you're her boyfriend now. People have a way of talking."

Ashitaka shook his head. "Let them talk. We know we're just friends."

"But it could hurt Yomi-chan to hear that kind of talk. And I won't hurt my friend." Sakaki turned aside, unable to endure the strength of his stare.

"Does this mean we can't be together anymore?"

"Sure we can, at school, in the company of others." Sakaki offered him a hopeful smile. "It's like you said, Ashitaka-kun, we're friends." She bowed. "Goodnight, Ashitaka-kun." Then she turned and opened the gate to her house.

"Sakaki-san," the boy whispered.

She stopped but didn't turn to look at him.

"I… I like you, Sakaki-san."

She turned and stared at him sadly, her voice caught in her throat.

"I'm… I'm sorry… " He turned away for a moment then looked at her once more. "I'm sorry, I didn't have the courage to tell you before." He took a deep breath and gazed into her eyes a little while longer. "I'm sorry." Then he turned and started walking home.

"Why couldn't you say that before?" Sakaki asked, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Why couldn't you say that before you told Yomi-chan, you'd be her boyfriend?"

He looked down. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I-I just don't know."

Her breathing became labored as her eyes clouded behind unshed tears. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came.

Ashitaka stayed staring at the ground until he heard the gate close, and a minute later he heared the sound of the front door open, then close. "I'm sorry, Sakaki-san," he whispered and slowly walked home with his small bag of groceries.

-

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(To Be Continued)

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AN: Sorry this chapter took longer than I had hoped. I hope you find it worth the wait. This should move a bit faster from here on out, I think.

Also, I'm sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors. In order to get this out sooner, I've posted it without my beta's edits. When she gets it back to me, I'll report the edited version.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed my story. Thank you all.

A. Amishi


	8. Chapter 8: Bitter Memories

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Azumanga Daioh: A Heart to Love

Chapter 8: Bitter Memories

Yomi and Ashitaka walked up to her locker. He reached around her and pulled out her school shoes, setting them on the floor for her. She smiled up at him, then slipped off her street shoes, which he picked up and placed in her cubby.

"Thanks." She smiled again.

He smiled back and wrapped his little finger around hers.

"Gosh! It's already been two months. How much longer is this going to go on?" Tomo groaned while changing into her school shoes as well.

"What's your problem?" Yomi tried to stare down her friend.

"You guys are my problem. You're everyone's problem, always so sweet and lovey-dovey with each other. Gaah!" The short-haired girl bent at the waist and stuck her finger in her mouth.

"You're just jealous," Yomi countered.

"Yeah right! Like I'd want some tall, handsome guy fawning all over me." Tomo turned away and laughed. A few seconds later, her shoulders slumped and a pitifully sad expression flashed on her face. "You're right, I am jealous. Ashitaka-kun, you wouldn't happen to have a twin brother would you?"

The boy laughed. "Sorry, Tomo-chan."

"Oh well." Her usual smile returned. "Guess you'll just have to get over me." She turned and walked away.

"Freak!" Yomi yelled.

The boy laughed again. "You guys are too funny."

The brunette frowned up at him. "I wasn't trying to be funny."

"I know, but that's what makes it so funny." He gave her a big grin.

She balled her hand into a fist, twisting his finger in the process. "Think this is funny?"

"Ah! Ah! No! Not funny! Not funny!"

"Didn't think so." She grinned. "Come on. We'll be late for class." She slipped her hand into his and led the way.

Walking past the lockers, something caught the boy's eye and he glanced back over his shoulder. There he spotted Sakaki standing against the opposite side of the lockers. As they walked away, she straightened up and turned but hesitated when she saw him looking back at her. Her sad expression made his heart sink, but she paused for just a moment before turned down the isle to change her shoes.

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"Sorry I can't walk you home today." Ashitaka stroked the back of Yomi's hand with his thumb.

"It's okay. I understand. Trying to get into Tokyo U. can't be easy. You need all the help you can get." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

He quickly glanced up and down the street, then leaned in and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." She smiled and gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go. She stood watching him run down the street for a few moments before turning with a sigh and heading home.

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Ashitaka managed to find a cram school half way between school and home that had a reputation of helping over 95 of their students pass the entrance exams of their school of choice. This included 27 out of the 29 Tokyo University applicants they tutored last year alone.

Classes ended at 8:00, and a very weary 18-year old made his way slowly home. Walking by a very large estate, the front gate suddenly opened.

"Goodnight, Tatakichi-san." The tall girl waved before closing the gate.

"Sakaki-san?"

The girl gasped with a start. "Ashitaka-kun? W-what are you doing here?"

"I just got out of cram school." He looked at the large gate. "This is Chiyo-chan's house, isn't it?"

"Mmm." She nodded.

"Who is Tatakichi-san?"

"Oh, that's Chiyo-chan's dog." She blushed.

Ashitaka smiled. "I see." Just then the streetlights went on. He looked up at the darkening sky then back to the girl. "May I walk you home?"

"Hmm." She turned away for a moment, the redness in her cheeks growing a little deeper, but eventually she replied, "Sure." Then she turned up the street and started walking.

The boy fell in step and they walked down the street together in silence.

"How have you been, Sakaki-san?"

The sudden question startled the girl. "What do you mean? You see me almost everyday."

"I do, but I don't. I see you in class, but you hardly ever say a word, and you're never around with your friends… at least not when Yomi and I are there together." He hesitated, not sure whether to add his latest observation finally decided to go ahead. "And this morning, I saw you waiting on the other side of the lockers. Waiting for Yomi-chan and me to leave." He glanced over.

Sakaki bit her lower lip.

After several minutes, Ashitaka replied, "I see." His breathing became labored and he clenched his jaw tightly.

The girl fought the urge to look over at him; instead she kept her eyes to the ground ahead of her.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to her house.

"Well, thank you," she said softly, "for walking me home."

The boy only gave a slight nod, not even bothering to look over.

Sakaki tried to smile. "I'll see you in school tomorrow… I guess." Her smile faded away. "Well, goodnight." She started to open the gate.

"You lied to me," Ashitaka whispered.

"Huh?"

"You lied to me." He turned to face the girl. "You said we could still be friends, but friends don't avoid each other. Friends don't treat friends like strangers." After a minute, he added. "Well? Don't you have anything to say? Won't you say anything at all?"

The girl hung her head.

"Fine."

She heard him rustling with his clothes then suddenly. "Here!" She looked up and saw him holding out the tie she had bought him.

"You were wearing it?" Her cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment for not noticing earlier.

"I've worn it every day to cram school, for luck."

"For luck?"

"Yes, because I thought it was a gift from a friend, a friend who cared about me. I guess I was wrong." He reached out, grabbed her hand, and pushed the tie into it. "Goodbye, Sakaki-san." He turned and walked away.

The girl stared at the tie in her trembling hand. _Don't let it end this way. Don't let it end this way. Not this way._ "Ashitaka-kun!" She ran after the boy.

"Ashitaka-kun!" He heard her yell. Turning around, he was almost knocked to the ground when the Sakaki ran into him, wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whispered having buried her face in his chest. "I want you to be my friend… I… I need you to be my friend. Please, please." She held him tight, almost afraid to let him go.

Ashitaka dropped his schoolbag and wrapped his arms around the girl, gently rubbing his cheek over the top of her head. "It's okay, Sakaki-chan. It's okay. I'll be your friend. I'll always be your friend."

Suddenly, a car horn sounded. "Get a room!" The passengers laughed as the car drove by.

Sakaki stepped away from the boy. "Sorry." She turned aside.

"No, that's okay. Those people were idiots," he assured her.

Looking back over at him, she slowly smiled. "So, we're still friends?"

The boy smiled back. "Of course."

"Good." Sakaki's smile grew. "Oh!" She held out her hand. "I'd like it if you kept wearing this… for luck."

Ashitaka, took the tie back and effortlessly put it back on. "Always."

"Well, goodnight, Ashitaka-kun." She blushed as she gazed up at him.

"Goodnight, Sakaki-chan." He threw her a wink.

Sakaki's smile grew, lighting up her whole face. With nothing else to be said, she gave a small wave goodbye and trotted back to her house. She stole one last look and saw Ashitaka still watching her. He waved, causing her to smile again, and wave back before closing the gate behind her.

The boy picked up his schoolbag and sighed. "Friends," he whispered to himself. "Yeah, I can deal with that." He began walking home. "Yomi-chan's a great girl and Sakaki-chan… Sakaki… she's something special." _Finally, everything seems to be coming together in my life. Now, if I can just keep from screwing it all up._

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(000)

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"Well, lets see, there's you, me and Chiyo-chan; Sakaki-san and Kagura-san…" Yomi looked over at her longtime friend then over at her boyfriend's empty chair. "And Ashitaka-kun?"

"But what about Tomo-chan?" Chiyo asked.

"Yeah, what about ME?" Tomo came up behind the smaller girl. "Wait, WHAT about me?"

"It's nothing." Yomi tried to wave her away.

"We're deciding who'll be in our group for the field trip to Okinawa," answered Chiyo.

"Well, me of course." The short-haired girl smiled confidently, but looking at her childhood friend then over at the young prodigy, her smile quickly disappeared. "I'm part of the group, right? I mean with me, that makes six, right?"

"We-e-ell…" Chiyo looked away.

"Yomi-chan mentioned Ashitaka-kun." Osaka replied.

An expression of shock flashed across Tomo's face but a rye grin replaced it almost instantly. "You're just joking, right?"

"I just think everyone would have more fun if Ashitaka-kun was in our group, that's all," Yomi said plainly.

"What?" Tomo yelled in shock. "No way! I'm a whole lot more fun than he is. Besides, with a boy in the group, you can't cut loose and just be yourself."

"Say, what are you guys talking about?" Kagura walked over and asked.

"We're deciding who should be in our group for the fieldtrip," Chiyo answered.

The swimmer's brow wrinkled. "Well, that should be easy."

"That's what I said," Tomo agreed.

"I though it might be fun having Ashitaka-kun in our group," Yomi added.

"Oh." A smile played across the young athlete's lips. "Yeah, well, I could see that, but then who do we leave out?"

Yomi and Chiyo both looked at Tomo.

Osaka followed their gaze and started at Tomo. "So who are we leaving out?"

"Hey! That's just not fair!" The girl in question stomped her foot. "Why don't you go with a different group?!" She pointed at Yomi.

"That doesn't make any sense at all." The spectacled girl shouted.

The lively discussion of who should be in their group continued when the boy they were talking about came into the room. He glanced over at Yomi and smiled but continued on to his desk.

"Sakaki-chan, I've got something for you." He smiled and opened his book bag.

The young teen slowly turned from staring out the window.

"I usually throw these things out. It's amazing how much junk mail I get everyday. But I couldn't help notice how much you like cats." He pulled a card out from his bag and looked at it. "It's just a postcard, an advertisement from some cat food company, but I thought you might like it." He held it out for the girl to take.

Sakaki accepted the card. Her heart melted the instant she looked at it. Three kittens practically on top of each other, staring at an unopened can of cat food and a can opener. She bit her lower lip and her eyes watered up as she ran her fingers over the kittens in the picture.

Ashitaka smiled wide. "It's safer than the real thing." Then he sat down.

Yomi stared at the exchange between her classmates with a long expression on her face.

"I mean, maybe he already has plans for the trip. He does have other friends, you know?" Kagura pointed out.

"What do you think, Yomi-san?" Chiyo asked. "Yomi-san?"

"Hmm?" She turned to meet the little girl's gaze.

"About Ashitaka-kun having other plans," Kagura explained impatiently.

"Oh, well, why don't we ask him?" Yomi got up and walked over to the boy's desk. "Morning, Ashi-kun." She smiled, running her finger over his hand.

"Morning, Yomi-chan," the boy replied with a smile, turning his hand over and gently taking hold of her finger.

"Say, for the field trip to Okinawa, have you made plans already?"

"Plans?"

"You know, what group you'll be going with," she replied.

"Oh, no not really, but I'm guessing I'll be in whatever group Torigai-kun puts together."

"Would you like to be in our group?" She asked with a smile. Seeing Sakaki's head suddenly come up caused Yomi's smile to fade just a bit.

A pensive expression played upon the boys face. "But… don't you already have six people in your group?" He held up his hand and pointed to each finger. "There's you, Sakaki-chan, Chiyo-sempai, Kagura-chan, Osaka-chan and Tomo-chan." He held up his thumb. "That's six."

"Well, Tomo was thinking of going with another group," Yomi lied.

"I was not!" The girl in question ran into her friend's side. "She's just trying to replace me with you. But you won't let her; will you, Ashi-kun?" Tomo grinned and batted her eyes at the boy.

"Hey, don't call him that!" Yomi yelled.

"Why not? You just did," Tomo teased.

"That's me!"

"So what makes you so special?"

"I'm his girlfriend, you idiot!" Yomi slammed her hand on his desk.

Ashitaka didn't flinch, but rather placed his hand gently over hers.

The brown haired girl looked down, and seeing his gentle, reassuring smile caused her anger to dissipate almost instantly.

"Tell you what, let me go talk to Torigai-kun and see if he's put together a group already." He stood up, gave Yomi a wink and walked out into the hall where his friend was talking with some other friends.

The two girls watched the boy walk out of the room, then Tomo turned. "What about you Sakaki-san? Wouldn't you rather have me in the group then Ashi-kun?"

Sakaki looked up at Tomo and slowly began to blush. She looked down at the postcard he had given her then she looked back up. "Well… I guess."

"What do you mean, you guess? And what's with the blushing." Tomo yelled which only made the tall girl blush more.

Yomi stared at Sakaki for a moment then turned towards the classroom door. She clinched her teeth and casually walked back to her desk.

"Say Yomi! Where are you going?" Her friend followed a moment later.

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(000)

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Ashitaka walked up next to Yomi as she stood outside the hotel looking out over the crystal blue sea. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Mmm." She nodded, a faint smile forming across her lips. Stealing a glance at her boyfriend, her smile faded away. "You know, you could have sat with me on the plane. Just because we're in different groups doesn't mean we couldn't be together during the flight."

"Sorry, but I needed to keep Torigai-kun in check. He kept threatening to drop his pants and run up and down the aisle screaming, **_'To the revolution!'_** I think he had one too many canned coffees at the airport." He grinned innocently.

Yomi frowned but it disappeared quickly when he leaned over and kissed her softly upon the temple.

"I promise we'll sit together on the flight home, even if it means letting Torigai run up and down the aisle pantsless. Though, I think Chiyo-sempai may never be the same again, if she sees that sight."

Yomi covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"And with all the free time built into this trip, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to spend together." He slid his hand into her's and offered her one last smile before turning his gaze towards the sea.

They enjoyed a moment of silence together staring out over the ocean, standing hand in hand. Yomi instinctively checked her watch.

"Oh my gosh! I need to go change. Our group is heading over to Shurijo Castle in fifteen minutes." She gave her boyfriend's hand a gentle squeeze. "Sorry."

He smiled and let her hand go. "That's okay. My group's heading out soon too." He gave a half wave. "I'll see you tonight."

"Okay! Bye!" Yomi turned and ran into the hotel.

Ashitaka checked his watch. "Mmm, still have almost an hour before our bus leaves." He slowly turned, allowing his eyes to scan the hotel patio and poolside. "Hmm..." He smiled and walked towards the person standing next to the railing."

"That's the direction of Iriomote Island, isn't it? You're going there tomorrow, right?" Ashitaka inquired.

"Mmm," the girl nodded.

"Hoping to catch a glimpse of an Iriomote Yamaneko?" He tilted his head towards her and smiled.

She clinched her fist and put on a look of shear determination. "I know I will."

Ashitaka's smile grew. "I'm sure you will. In fact, I'm certain of it."

Sakaki gave him a warm smile. "Thanks."

After a few minutes of standing and staring out over the ocean, Ashitaka enquired. "I guess you need to get ready to go?"

Sakaki shook her head. "I'm ready already. Chiyo-chan said she'd come get me when everyone was ready to go."

"Oh…" The boy looked back out over the ocean. "That's good."

"Mmm…" She smiled and did the same.

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"Hold the elevator!" The girl with long brown hair and glasses yelled as she ran down the hall.

Chiyo poked her head out from the elevator. "Oh, it's you Yomi-san," she smiled. She kept her finger on the OPEN button until the taller girl stepped in.

"Thanks Chiyo-chan," Yomi gasped breathlessly.

The young prodigy giggled, "You're welcome."

"Are we late?" Yomi checked her watch.

"No, not at all. I told Sakaki-san I'd get her when it was time, so I decided to go down a little early." Chiyo smiled.

"Oh," Yomi sighed, but quickly recovered. "Tell you what, I'll go get Sakaki-san; you make sure everyone else gets on the right bus, okay?"

"All right." The young girl responded enthusiastically. "She should be over by the pool. You know where it is?"

"Yeah, I was just out there earlier."

Just then the elevator door opened at the lobby.

"We'll be right there." And the older teen headed towards the side entrance to retrieve her friend and classmate.

There were a number of hotel guests out around the pool so she didn't see the girl she was looking for right away, but following Chiyo's instructions, she walked towards the pool. Spotting the girl, Yomi could see she had a big smile on her face and appeared to be laughing. She called out, "Sakaki-san!" But the girl didn't hear her. Quickening her pace, Yomi hurried over but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who it was that brought such a big smile to Sakaki's face. _Ashitaka-kun…_

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"I swear that's what he said." The sandy blonde haired boy laughed.

Sakaki didn't even try to contain her amusement, allowing herself to laugh out loud.

Seeing the normally stoic girl laugh and smile so freely, brought a sense of joy to the boy's face. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a very familiar face. "Yomi-chan?"

"Huh?"

"That's Yomi-chan, I think. But why is she just standing there?" He raised his hand and called out to her, "Yomi-chan! Over here!"

As if snapped out of a trance, his girlfriend smiled and started walking towards them. "There you are. Sakaki-san, we need to go if we're going to catch our bus."

"Oh, okay." Sakaki graced Ashitaka with one last smile and quickly fell in step with Yomi.

"Have fun!" The boy called out as he stared after the girls. Sakaki glanced back once more and waved back at him, but Yomi simply continued to walk away.

"Hmm, wonder what's wrong with her?" He stared a little while longer before shrugging and turning back towards the sea.

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"Is something wrong, Yomi-chan?" Sakaki asked, looking over at her friend as they walked through the hotel.

The shorter girl remained silent for a time, glancing over at her friend to see if she was really that oblivious of her feelings. She sighed. _Maybe I'm just imagining things. But she does like him, doesn't she? I mean, how could she not?_ "Sakaki-san, what do you think of Ashitaka-kun?"

"What do you mean?" A hint of confusion crossed the dark-haired girl's brow.

"Do…do you like Ashitaka-kun?" Yomi's face turned a pale shade of red.

Sakaki's face turned bright red. "Ah… I mean…" She turned away for a moment. Steeling herself, she turned back towards her friend with a serious expression on her face. "Ashitaka-kun is my friend. Of course I like him. I like him as a friend and nothing more." She stopped suddenly and placed a hand upon her friend's shoulder. "Yomi-chan, I would never do anything like try and take Ashitaka-kun away from you. I swear."

Sakaki's earnest expression calmed Yomi's troubled heart, and the brown-haired girl smiled up at her friend. "I know. I believe you." She shook her head. "I don't know what got into me just now. You're a good friend Sakaki-san. I trust you. Really I do."

Sakaki smiled back. "Thank you."

"Oh no!" Yomi checked her watch. "We better hurry or they'll leave without us." The two girls broke into a run and dashed through the lobby, out the front doors to the bus.

-

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Yomi was about to set her tray down across from Ashitaka when she saw how little he had on his plate. "Is that all you're going to eat?"

He pushed what little champloo he had on his plate around with his chopsticks and sighed. "I ate way too much at the Pineapple Park."

"Pineapple Park?"

"Mmm, pineapple cakes, candies, juices; all sorts of things." He looked up at his girlfriend with an expression that hinted more towards a hidden sadness rather than any physical discomfort. "I think I'm going to call it a night."

"Already?" Yomi lowered her tray. "I thought we'd take a moonlit walk along the beach." Doing nothing to hide her disappointment.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not up to it tonight. Maybe tomorrow, okay." He forced a smile.

"W-want me to keep you company? We can watch some TV together." The girl offered her boyfriend a gentle smile.

"No, that's okay. Besides, boys and girls aren't allowed to be on each other's floor, let alone in a room together. I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble because of me." His smile failed to reach his eyes. "I'll be fine. I just need some rest. Enjoy your meal." He looked down at her tray and his eyes went wide. "Wow!"

"Hmm, I got a second plate for Tomo." She laughed.

Ashitaka looked next to the girl and saw Tomo sitting happily enjoying her food.

Yomi looked beside her and saw the same thing. "Hehehe, well… you see… we are on vacation, sort of, right?"

Ashitaka smiled. "Enjoy your dinner. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and walked away.

"O-okay…" Yomi watched her boyfriend walk away and sighed.

"Hey Yomi-chan! Where's Ashi-kun going?" Tomo called out.

"He says he's not feeling well." She sat down. "I guess he ate too much pineapple at the Pineapple Park."

"Really?" Tomo replied, then looked down the length of the long table. "Hey, Torigai-kun!"

Ashitaka's friend looked over from his conversation with his friends. "What's up Tomo-chan?"

"Why'd you let Ashitaka-kun eat so much? Didn't you guys know we were having buffet here at the hotel?"

Torigai gave Tomo a confused look. "What are you talking about? Ashitaka-kun barely ate anything at the Pineapple Park. A half a wedge of fresh pineapple, that's it, at least that's all I saw him eat."

Yomi looked over. "But he said he ate all sorts of stuff, pineapple cake and candy and things."

The boy shock is head. "No way, they had that stuff in the gift shop, along with samples. I know, I ate a ton of it, along with these guys. He gestured to his friends and they all nodded in agreement. "Any of you see Ashitaka-kun eat any of that stuff?" They all shock their heads. "Neither did I, and I was with him in the gift show the whole time. He didn't even buy anything in there… accept a stupid pineapple pin."

"A pineapple pin?" Tomo titled her head.

"Yeah, you know, one of those pins that you put on your lapel." The boy gestured across his chest.

"Hmm," Tomo turned to her friend. "Maybe he bought you a present?"

Yomi's worried expression gradually changed as a smile crept across her lips. "Maybe…"

"What do you think Sakaki-san?" Tomo asked.

"Huh?" The tall girl turned from her conversation with Chiyo.

"Nevermind, it's not important." Yomi cut in. "Come on, let's eat." She picked up her chopsticks and started sampling from everything on her tray. _I gift… It's not much but this would be the first time he's ever bought me anything… other than food that is._ Her smile grew slightly as she let her worries slip away.

-

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"Man, what a day." Kagura stretched and let herself fall back into her bed. "That castle was really cool though, wasn't it Sakaki-san?"

The taller girl poked her head out from the bathroom. With her toothbrush in her mouth, she gave a nod then retreated back into the bathroom.

"And tomorrow's going to be even better what with the trip to Iriomote Island." The swimming star added.

"Mmm." Sakaki nodded coming out of the bathroom in her pajamas and taking a seat on her bed.

"I bet you can't wait to see the island wild cat, can you?"

Sakaki stared out the window and clinched her fist. "Mmm."

Kagura stared at her roommate for a moment then gave a mild chuckle. "You're not much of a conversationalist, are you?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind." The short-haired girl sat up and grabbed the TV remote which was sitting on the corner of her bed. "Want to watch some TV?"

Sakaki glances at the monitor for a moment then stood up. "No, I'm going to sleep." And she pulled down the blankets on her bed.

"Already? But its only…" Kagura turned and looked at the clock. "Nine thirty."

"I know, but the sooner I get to sleep, the sooner tomorrow will come." Sakaki tossed her hair around to the side and pulled it in front of her, then got in bed and rolled on her side."

"Man, sounds like something my mother would say." Kagura tossed the remote back on the bed. "Well, I'm going to see what Osaka-chan and Chiyo-chan are up to." She headed for the door.

"Don't forget your keycard."

"Got it right here." The girl patted the breast pocket of her pajamas. "Night."

"Mmm."

Kagura shook her head with a smile and left the room.

-

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Sakaki woke up, took a shower, got dressed and left the hotel room an hour before the alarm clock went off.

She walked quietly to the elevator and boarded the empty cart to take it down to the lobby. Two floors down, the doors opened.

"Oh! Morning Sakaki-chan." The tall boy got in.

"Ashitaka-kun… you're up early."

"Yeah, guess that's the problem with going to sleep too early." He smiled. "What's your excuse?"

She gave a faint smile. "Same."

He gave a mild chuckle. "Well, I guess the good thing is we won't have to wait in line for breakfast."

"Mmm," she nodded.

-

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-

Sakaki and Ashitaka stood outside looking out over the ocean.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Mmm." The girl nodded.

"My sister could spend hours staring out over the ocean and never get bored. She especially loved these southern waters. So clear, so blue."

"You've been here before?"

"Mmm," the boy nodded. "My family used to come here every spring when I was younger. Winters in Morioka can be pretty brutal so in mid-March we'd spend a week down here."

Sakaki looked back at the hotel. "Did you ever stay here?" She pointed.

Ashitaka looked back at the hotel for a moment then shook his head. "No, we always stayed at a cottage on the other side of the island." He slid his hands into his pockets.

"Oh." Sakaki glanced up at the tall boy, then looked out over the sea again. Over the next few minutes she glanced up at him multiple times.

"What?" He asked without looking over.

The long-haired girl quickly looked away.

"If you've got a question, don't be afraid to ask," the boy said softly.

"Well, … are you…" She quickly looked away again.

"Am I what?" He looked over.

"Nothing, never mind; it's not important." The girl turned her gaze back out over the ocean.

The boy smiled and turned towards the ocean as well. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his smile vanished as he pulled his hand out of his pocket. Tears began to form in his eyes but he fought to keep them from escaping.

"What's wrong?" Sakaki placed a gentle hand on his arm.

He looked down at his hand. "I bought this pin yesterday for my sister."

The girl looked down. "A pineapple?"

"Mmm, she loved pineapples."

_Loved?_ Sakaki gave the boy a concerned look but refrained from saying anything.

"She used to collect pins, all sorts of pins. She wanted this one but we were running late so our parents didn't stop in the gift shop the last time we were here." A tear escaped his eye. "I don't know why I bought this."

"You're not going to give it to her?" Sakaki asked softly.

Ashitaka stared at the small metal object for a long time. "No… she stopped collecting pins a long time ago." He drew his arm back, ready to heave it into the sea, but for no particular reason, he stopped himself. Looking back down at the pin once more, he held it out to Sakaki. "Do you want it?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want it?" He held it a little closer. "Think of it as a good luck charm when you study, like the tie you gave me." He smirked.

Sakaki couldn't help but return the grin. "Well, if you put it that way." She reached out and took the pin, and slipped it into her pocket.

"You're not going to put it on?"

She shook her head. "I'm not going to study right now."

The boy laughed. "Yeah, I guess not."

"Hey! Ashitaka-kun! Come on! Our bus is here!" Torigai called out from the hotel entrance.

"All right! Be right there!" The tall boy waved back then turned to Sakaki once more. "I guess I'll see you tonight. Have fun on Iriomote Island. I hope you get to see a Iriomote Yamaneko." He smiled.

A deathly serious expression etched itself upon the girl's face. "I will." She clinched her fist.

The boy's smile grew, then he waved good-bye and headed back to the hotel.

-

(000)

-

Ashitaka shoved Yomi's carry-on bag in the overhead compartment of the airplane then took his seat next to his girlfriend who had the window seat.

"Well, we'll be home in a few hours. Get enough souvenirs?" He asked with a smile but Yomi just stared out the window. After a few minutes of silence, the boy asked. "Is something wrong?"

Yomi looked over at boy. "I don't know. Did you forget something?"

Taken aback by the question, Ashitaka thought long and hard before responding. "No, I-I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

The spectacled girl narrowed her lips. "Never mind..." and she turned her attention back out the window.

The boy sighed and ran his fingers over his forehead. "Did I do something wrong? What?"

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't **_do_** anything, apparently."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing… it's nothing."

"If it's nothing, then why are you giving me the cold shoulder?"

"I'm just tired, that's all. I don't feel like talking, okay?" She stayed staring out the window.

"Fine." Ashitaka replied coarsely. He sat, silently staring unfocused across the plane. Finally, he reached under his seat and pulled his carry-on bag forward to retrieve a book. After shoving his bag back under his seat, Ashitaka opened to the bookmarked page and began to read.

After nearly an hour in the air, Yomi finally looked over to her boyfriend. _He'd rather read than talk to me._ She huffed then looked back out the window.

"Did you say something?" Ashitaka turned.

"No, nothing," she snapped.

The boy sighed and continued reading.

-

(000)

-

Yomi and Tomo arrived at Chiyo's house together.

"Now no fouling around Tomo, you've got to take this seriously if you hope to get into college." Her friend warned.

"Don't worry Yomi. I'll take it seriously." She reached out and rang the doorbell.

A moment later Chiyo answered. "Hi Yomi-san, Tomo-chan! Please come in."

"Hi Chiyo-chan." Yomi walked in first.

"Hi Chiyo-chan. Got any snacks?" Tomo followed.

"Tomo!"

"What?"

Chiyo just laughed. "Sure, I'll get some. Go on upstairs to my room. Sakaki-san and Osaka-san are already here." Then the girl headed for the kitchen.

Walking up the stair, Yomi scowled. "I can't believe you. Just walking in the door and already asking for food."

"I can't help it. I'm hungry."

"You're pathetic."

"Bet you end up eating more than I do, Yomi." Tomo teased.

"Shut up!"

-

Walking into the room they found Sakaki already hard at work and Osaka mesmerized by the end of her pencil.

"Hi guys." Yomi smiled and quickly took a seat across from the taller girl.

"Hi Yomi-chan, hi Tomo-chan." Osaka looked up and smiled enthusiastically.

"Hi." Sakaki looked up for a moment and nodded then went back to work.

Yomi looked at the books the other two girls had open. "Starting with math? Good idea." She pulled out her math book as well and flipped to the same page, then pulled out a notebook and turned it to a blank sheet. She started reading her textbook but quickly encountered a part she remembered having difficulty with in class. "Say Sakaki-san?" She looked up at the girl across from her.

"Hmm?" The tall girl looked up exposing the collar of the sweater she was wearing.

Yomi's eyes went wide when she saw a pineapple pin attached to Sakaki's collar.

"… **_I was with him in the gift show the whole time. He didn't even buy anything in there… accept a stupid pineapple pin._**

**_A pineapple pin?_**

**_Yeah, you know, one of those pins that you put on your lapel._**

_**Hmm, maybe he bought you a present?"**_

"Did you have a question?" Sakaki asked.

Yomi shook the memory away. "Uhh, yeah… umm, no, no it's nothing." Yomi looked down at her book and pretended to read.

"Say, Sakaki-san, where'd you get that pin?" Tomo blurted out.

"Shut up!" Yomi snapped.

"But we didn't go to that pineapple park and you said that Ashitaka-kun didn't-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Yomi yelled and slugged her friend hard in the arm, knocking her over.

Osaka and Sakaki gasped.

"Ouch!" Tomo rubbed her arm. "That really hurt."

"Good! Now shut up!" Yomi glared at her. "We're here to study, not to waste time chit-chatting!"

Slowly, Tomo sat up, still rubbing her arm. "Okay," she whimpered, and flipped her book open.

Yomi glanced over at the other girls and saw them staring back at her with a combination of shock and fear. Yomi's face turned a pale shade of red as she turned her attention back to her book.

A few minutes later Chiyo walked into the room carrying a try with snacks and five cans of fruit-flavored sodas. "Sorry for taking so long." She set the tray down in the middle of the table, then sat down between Sakaki and Yomi. "Feel free to ask me anything. I'll do my best to help." She smiled, then grabbed a soda and a pocky.

After a few quite moments, Sakaki asked. "Chiyo-chan, can you take a look at this? I'm not sure I did it right."

"Sure, Sakaki-san." Chiyo said with a smile, and craned her neck to get a bitter look at Sakaki's work. "It's almost right. You just forgot a step, here. See?"

"Oh, that's right. Thank you, Chiyo-chan." Sakaki nodded.

"Don't mention it, Sakaki-san." Chiyo's smile grew, happy that she was able to be of some help. "Oh!" Her eye caught sight of something on the collar of Sakaki's sweater. "What's that Sakaki-san?"

Sakaki's hand went up and gently touched the pin, but before she could say anything, Osaka shouted. "Don't ask Chiyo-chan! Or Yomi-chan will punch you!"

Chiyo flinched looking quickly over at Yomi who was staring intensely down at her book. Frightened, Chiyo inched slightly towards Sakaki's side of the table.

Turning to see the scared looks in her friends' faces, then over at Yomi and her thinly valed angry expression, Sakaki stood up. "Yomi-chan, we need to talk." She turned and headed out the door.

Yomi bitdown hard on her lower lip and clinched her fists before getting to her feet and following Sakaki out of the room, down the stairs and outside.

"What just happened?" a confused Chiyo asked.

Tomo stared towards the door for a moment just to make sure neither girl came back in suddenly, then she leaned in close and whispered loudly, "Ashitaka-kun bought a pineapple pin during the fieldtrip to Okinawa and Yomi thought he was going to give it to her, as a gift."

"Oh, I see. So she's upset that Ashitaka-kun gave it to Sakaki-san instead. But how does she know the pin Sakaki-san has is the same one Ashitaka-kun bought?" Chiyo asked.

"Because we didn't go to the Pineapple Park and that was the only place you could get it," Tomo argued.

"There and at the airport," Osaka added.

"The airport?"

"Yeah, the airport gift shop had all sorts of things. Pins, and magnets, and pictures, and postcards, and small statues, …"

"Yeah, yeah, we get the idea, Osaka-chan, they had lots of stuff there." Tomo cut the other girl off.

"You don't thing they're going to fight do you?" Chiyo lips trembled the at very thought.

"I don't know, but if they do, my moneys on Sakaki-san." Tomo shouted. "Yomi-chan's got a mean upper cut but Sakaki-san has a definite reach and height advantage. And while they may weigh about the same, Sakaki-san is a more solid weight, where Yomi is more mushy."

"I don't know," Osaka chimed in. "If Yomi can get inside and work the body, she might have a chance."

"True, true." Tomo nodded.

"You guys!" A teary-eyed Chiyo shouted. "We need to stop them. They're our friends. They shouldn't be fighting."

"Oh, don't worry Chiyo-chan." Tomo got up and patted the younger girl on the head. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

Chiyo looked up at her friend and wiped her tears away. "Really? You think so?"

"Sure," Tomo continued. "Both of them are strong enough that one punch and it'll all be over."

"Tomo!" Chiyo began crying again.

-

-

-

Taking about ten steps away from the house, Sakaki turned and asked. "What's bothering you Yomi-chan?"

Yomi pressed her lips together tightly and took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Then through clinched teeth she asked, "Just tell me Sakaki-san, where did you get that pin?"

Sakaki's hand went up and touched the pin once again. "Ashitaka-kun gave it to me." She saw Yomi's anger increase. "But it was no big deal."

"No big deal!" Yomi shouted. "I'm his girlfriend and he bought you a gift. How is that not a big deal."

Sakaki shook her head. "He didn't buy it for me. He bought it for his sister, but he changed his mind about giving it to her. He was going to throw it in the ocean. He gave it to me because I just happened to be standing there next to him. I'm sure if it were you or anyone else, he would have done the same thing." Sakaki explained.

This seemed to calm Yomi down somewhat.

Reaching for the pin again, Sakaki took it off and held it out to the other girl. "If it means that much to you, take it."

Yomi looked at the pin for a few minutes before lowering her head and sighing. "It's not the stupid pin. I don't care about the pin. I just wanted my boyfriend to think about me, that's all. When Torigai-san said Ashitaka-kun had bought a pin at the Pineapple Park, I thought that maybe he bought it for me and it made me feel special because it meant he was thinking about me even when we weren't together. But that wasn't the case at all." She took a few steps towards the gate and stopped. "Sakaki-san, please ask Tomo-chan to take my books home when she leaves. I'll call her later to pick them up."

"Aren't you going to stay and study?" Sadness washed over the taller girl.

"No. I've humiliated myself enough here for one day. I'm sorry Sakaki-san. I'm sorry for acting like such a fool." Yomi broke into a run and practically ran into the gate, struggling to force it open. Eventually, she got it open and ran off.

Sakaki looked down at the pin and slowly closed her hand around it. Turning, she headed back into the house and stuffed the pin in her pocket.

27


End file.
